Sri Lanka must prepare to welcome Narendra Modi as India’s next Prime Minister
Posted on December 13th, 2013
Shenali D Waduge
We acknowledge the support of Dr. Subramaniam Swamy over the years for being the sole Indian voice against LTTE in support of Sri Lanka’s role to eliminate LTTE terrorism. We are glad he is a key member of the winning team steering Mr. Modi to take over India in 2014 as its Prime Minister. It is time India had a leader and not a puppet. The rehearsal results from the Lok Sabha elections reveal the gory truth for Congress and its posterboy candidate – he is no match for Gujarat’s nominee. In Modi, India is likely to take back India into true Indian hands and away from the foreign domination that has dragged India to function as a Western vassal state breeding Indian sepoys following to dictates of Western hegemony and taking India away from its Asian heritage and Hindu identity. In Modi, Asia would like to see India take the role of a true super power in the making, India to function as a leader helping and assisting its South Asian neighbors and not attempting to destabilize them whereby indirectly attracting destability on its own soil because of its shortsightedness and inferiority complexes. India needs to first look inward before drawing any policies at diplomatic level regional and international.
When the name of Modi emerged for candidature as India’s Prime Minister as was to be expected the negative publicity arose not from overseas but from within India. It revealed how India’s media in a country with 80% Hindus has been usurped from Hindus and is controlled by Christian or Islamic international power houses financed by their powerful international lobbies. As was to be expected Modi was branded in nomenclatures that denounced him an extremist, racist, murderer which continue unabated and is part of the campaign that is likely to be one of the weakest to overcome the mounting nationalism amongst Indians to upstage armchair leaders who cave in to pressures from even states like Tamil Nadu given that they have no policy in their policies except dance to the lobbies that fund them. We do not want to see Modi repeat that mistake even for political survival. It simply has degraded the stature of a Prime Minister.
However the powers against Modi has been such that in March 2005 the US denied him visa as Chief Minister citing 2002 riots in Gujarat and this coming from a country that sends unmanned drones that kills dozens of civilians daily the decision becomes amusing more so since US has done a u-turn now that India’s next Prime Minister is definitely likely to be Modi.
However, Modi’s visa denial to US came about not from Muslim lobbies but from US Evangelicals and Indian-expat Evangelicals. Modi’s response to the visa denial was ‘will India also consider what America has done in Iraq when it processes visa applications of Americans coming to India’. A statement unlikely to come from the incumbent PM though.
India’s foreign policy is certainly likely to see a major shift. Currently the Prime Ministers office has decided what foreign policy is and not the country’s External Affairs ministry as seen by the nuclear deal with the US. What the West cannot deny is that Modi has been given the cold shoulder despite Modi being absolved of all guilt of allegations. It is interesting how the US and EU will attempt to cuddle up to Modi now that he is persona non grata and the fact that Obama named Manmohan as one of the 5 leaders US was most close to. What is certain is that US will not quote Manmohan as America’s favorite Indian leader if Modi ends up Prime Minister and US may well have to ask Harvard to re-invite Dr. Swamy to lecture. Modi will see major shifts in reception no sooner his role changes but how true friends they are is what Modi will need to decide upon.
In Sri Lanka’s case the ordinary citizens seriously wonder whether its External Affairs Ministry has ever had a clear policy on India instead of groveling before it when India turns the heat on. We have certainly lacked a pro-active strategy to neutralize South India’s political leverage over the Central Government which has spiraled to appalling levels that has now gone beyond amusement or tolerance. In the times of the ancient Sinhalese kings we may recall that the bonds established with various dynastic rulers of the South enabled Sri Lanka to crush South Indian invaders with South Indian assistance and it showed the level of diplomacy and respect that was shared. Today’s leverage has been nothing beyond bartering Sri Lanka’s strategic assets to keep foreign nations off the hook and not giving Sri Lankas political leadership any headaches beyond which they can domestically handle whereby reducing Sri Lanka to a level that we are left with little else to barter. The people may end up the last resort.
What both India and Sri Lanka need to realize first is that India is in need of a national leader for the Hindus of India are experiencing no different a climate than what the Buddhists of Sri Lanka are currently undergoing. Both feel their heritage is being usurped and the people converting to a totally different culture. The incursions are what both India and Sri Lanka share though both have yet to openly acknowledge the links sufficient to address them. The wise words of Rajiv Malhotra is one that both Indians and Sri Lankans should spend time to listen to.
It is in realizing that Eelam is not meant to be a Hindu Eelaam that the breakthrough will come to secure better ties between both nations and sufficiently put to a close a chapter based on bogus grievances that now needs to close for people to get on with their lives.
India needs to once more belong to Asia, it must renew its ties amongst its neighbors, it must set about a new approach to discourse with Pakistan and realize that there are many nations that enjoy keeping both at loggerheads for such a relationship serves their purpose, India needs to also not get caught to feeling it has to continuously challenge China at the behest of the West. India must regain its lost stature as a nation in Asia and start building bonds with its neighbors and not antagonize them as has been done in the past.
With a new shift in approaches for both nations, the realization and strategy to directly deal with the incursions that prevail India and Sri Lanka could well be on course to a better relationship diplomatically one that will ensure that the healthy dialogue between the central governments does not get usurped by petty politics of state politicians in India and paid puppets in the northern province of Sri Lanka.
December 13th, 2013 at 6:32 pm
When Modi becomes the PM either he will take control of TN or the West will use TN to destablise India. Either way, Tamil Tigers and their sympathisers will have a new theatre to play their games – away from Sri Lanka which is great news. Bring on Modi!
December 13th, 2013 at 7:03 pm
One thing is for sure and that is if Modi becomes India’s next leader relationships with Pakistan will go downhill
December 14th, 2013 at 8:30 am
With Mr Modi in power, it will be a Hindu India. Will the PM Nehru Panchaseela Rule reign again ? We hope it will. It will be more peaceful for the region if India concentrates on upliftment of her masses with real, no negative strings attached help for her neighbors, as does China.
December 14th, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Modi is the next PM. There will be riots, religious violence, mosque burning, Hindu-Muslim riots, etc. once again in Endia. These violence may spread to SL too.
Modi campaign is spearheaded by SHIV SENA that burned down so many mosques and CHOPPED Muslims.
Modi was the RIOT LEADER behind 2002 Gujarat Muslim massacres.
What else do you expect from him?
But SL cannot change anything. We should MAKE USE of this to WIPE OUT SL’s enemies.
December 16th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Some Hard Facts and Numbers on the Fish Poaching Issue by Xinhua.
Apparently, the GOSL has complained to International maritime organizations and the EU (?), to NO EFFECT.
Therefore, GOSL has to CONTINUE TAKING ACTION against the POACHERS and INFLICTING FINANCIAL PAIN, until the PAIN is high enough to make the Tamil Nadu Government WINCE & REVERSE course.
……………………
India-Sri Lanka ties netted in fishermen poaching issue
Dec 16 (Xinhua) COLOMBO- Tension between Sri Lanka and India has spiraled as both sides arrest fishermen crossing into each other’s maritime boundaries with arrests increasing to hundreds on both sides and triggering calls for diplomatic intervention.
Just last week the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 140 fishermen and 23 boats within just two days. India, not to be outdone, arrested 98 Sri Lankan fishermen in just 13 days in December and with numbers increasing daily. Deeper tensions between Colombo and South Indian state Tamil Nadu seem inevitable. Tamil Nadu and the Sri Lankan government have traditionally had strained relations as the Indian State, home to the largest number of Tamils, has for decades empathized with their Sri Lankan counterparts and their struggle for equal political rights in Sri Lanka.
With the new rise in fishermen arrests this already tenuous relationship has been further strained with Tamil Nadu politicians accusing the Sri Lankan government of turning the narrow strip of sea dividing the two countries into “an open air prison.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram is one of the most vociferous critics of Colombo’s human rights record and last week sent a letter accusing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of being too soft on the fishermen issue with Sri Lanka’s government.
Even though discussions between the two parties have been mooted for next year, they are yet to get locked down, with fishermen getting caught in the middle.
Just days after the 140 Indian fishermen were arrested, Colombo hit back blaming Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram for keeping Sri Lankan fishermen “hostage” in order to achieve her political goals.
Deputy Minister of Fisheries Sarath Kumara Gunarathne said that by arresting Sri Lankan fishermen and holding them in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha is attempting to win the support of Indian fishing communities.
Speaking in Parliament, the deputy minister claimed that the Tamil Nadu chief minister is demanding that Indian fishermen be allowed to poach in Sri Lankan waters using large scale fishing gear. The deputy minister said that the methods used by Indian trawlers to catch fish is damaging marine life in Sri Lankan waters when they cross the international maritime boundary.
He urged the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which is Sri Lanka’ s main Tamil party, to raise the issue with Jayalalithaa as it is affecting the livelihood of fishermen in the North that is governed by the TNA.
Gunarathne also pointed out that attempts are being made to scuttle ties between Sri Lanka and India by using the fishermen issue. However he said President Mahinda Rajapaksa is keen to ensure ties with India and interaction with the Indian central government remain strong.
Rajapaksa himself earlier this month appealed to India’s Navy Chief D.K. Joshi to end the deadlock between the two countries but little progress has been made.
Indian fishermen have also alleged that the Sri Lankan navy has attacked them, an accusation that is vehemently denied by the navy.
According to Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Rajitha Senaratne, the industry loses an estimated 78.9 million U.S. dollars’worth of fish from illegal poaching from South India. The government has targeted 500 million U.S. dollars in revenue for 2013, but has had to keep its expectation low due to the significant losses from poaching.
Sri Lankan studies estimate that an average of 1,056 Indian boats cross into Sri Lankan waters illegally, which means 19.72 million U.S. dollars is lost from their shrimp catch alone.
In total Indian fishermen poach at least 65 million kilograms of fish each year. Satellite images suggest that the poaching is done in a highly-organized manner as the bulk of the boats operate in the night and scramble across the international maritime boundary line by four in the morning.
Colombo has previously defended its soft-peddling of the issue by pointing out that if reports are made to international bodies, most of South India’s fishing industry will be shut down and this could not be allowed because of the close relationship enjoyed by the two countries.
As many as 400 fish processing plants subsist on this catch and hints have been made by the minister that strong political backing is given by the Tamil Nadu government.
Sri Lankan officials have complained that international bodies such as the European Union (EU), which is a key market for both India and Sri Lanka, have done nothing to stop the poaching.
However, EU spokesperson Oliver Drewes told local media that the EU is not empowered to address disputes involving one country with its neighboring countries.
“It is up to the relevant states to deal with bilateral disputes on fisheries in line with the provisions of international law,” he said. “There are no double standards in the application of the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Regulation which is based on non-discrimination.”
Drewes said Sri Lanka had, however, not yet lodged an official complaint with the EU on the Indian poaching issue. “Illegal fishing threatens the livelihood of honest fishermen and it puts at risk the fish supply for the future. At the same time it threatens the environment and the livelihood of coastal communities,” the EU spokesman said.
The skyrocketing number of arrests on both sides demand some form of diplomatic engagement to take place, say analysts
Previously both countries agreed that the way forward should be amicable and put in place joint committee with top officials from both countries to interact between the stakeholders but this has gone silent, while allegations and arrests have mounted.
Relations between Tamil Nadu and Colombo have become even frostier if that is possible, in the aftermath of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), for it is generally believed that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh boycotted the event due to pressure from Tamil Nadu politicians.
In such a sub-zero environment, dealing with fishing issues has become even more challenging, analysts believe, but it is evident that something must be done fast.
December 16th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Yes, Modi will INDEED be the next PM of India when Congress falls in a surge of support for the BJP in next years Lok Sabha elections in India.
Modi may revive India’s ECONOMY, if he does not undermine its COHESION pitting Hindus against everyone else.
How will Modi relate to the US, and the Global Western Neocolonialist agenda? Whereas the Congress party and Man Mohan Singh had a healthy suspicion of the Western NeoColonialist motives, will Modi throw caution to the winds and become a NeoColonial puppet as long as it promotes Hindu Nationalist interests?
If that happens, Modi, as an avowed Hindu Nationalist, may decide to support the Racists of Tamil Nadu and oppose Sri Lanka tooth and nail.
Alternatively, as a low-caste self-made person displacing high-caste-political elite in India, will he realize that Sri Lanka’s Buddhist policies, that has uplifted all people of Sri Lanka irrespective of community, are a better model for India to follow, and more in line with his own goals of equal treatment for India’s poor and impoverished low-caste people?
His economic policies in Gujarat so far have benefited mostly big businesses and foreign companies operating in his state, but the economic boom it created in Gujarat has lifted all communities and reduced the poverty level drastically in his state. This underlies his appeal to the rest of India: that he may be able to do for them what he has done for Gujarat.
Against that positive record, is his record of not having acted quickly to stem the violence in the Hindu-Moslem riots of the past. He is known to be biased against Muslims and to have turned a blind eye to attacks on Muslims. The majority of the people killed in those riots initiated by a Muslim attack on a train of Hindu pilgrims, were Muslims.
What will PREVAIL in Modi’s mind and determine his policies? His demonstrated record of Hindu Nationalism, or his desire to eradicate poverty and assist the most needy in India?
I hope the latter motive will prevail, and that he will find common cause with Sri Lanka not only in uplifting the common people, but also in recognizing the twin evils of caste-dominated-Hinduism and the creeping invasion of both India and Sri Lanka by Western NeoColonialists seeking to divide, undermine and split asunder our two nations.
December 16th, 2013 at 2:19 pm
Lets be very clear on this.
Modi is the next PM. There will be riots, religious violence, mosque burning, Hindu-Muslim riots, etc. once again in Endia. These violence may spread to SL too.
Modi campaign is spearheaded by SHIV SENA that burned down so many mosques and CHOPPED Muslims.
Modi was the RIOT LEADER behind 2002 Gujarat Muslim massacres.
This is one big attraction for Endia’s Hindus who think they are under threat from minorities. Hindu population percentage has fallen below 80% for the first time!!! Endia is too chicken to release 2011 census data even after 2 years later!!
December 16th, 2013 at 2:44 pm
Lorenzo,
Your predictions for Modi’s tenure at the helm of India are ONE-DIMENSIONAL; and focuses only on the negatives.
Narendra Modi is a COMPLEX man with many DIMENSIONS to his persona, some good some bad.
It is DIFFICULT to predict even the MAIN IMPACTS of his rise to National power in India.