India on Wednesday strongly refuted claims of its interference in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs as the island nation’s lawmakers elected Ranil Wickremesinghe as the new president.
In a statement on Twitter, the Indian High Commission in capital Colombo termed the speculative media reports in the country as “a figment of someone’s imagination”.
“We have seen baseless and purely speculative media reports about efforts at political level from India to influence political leaders in Sri Lanka regarding elections in the Sri Lankan Parliament to the post of the President of Sri Lanka.
“We categorically deny these media reports as completely false. They are clearly a figment of someone’s imagination,” the High Commission said.
“It is reiterated that India supports the realisation of aspirations of the people of Sri Lanka in accordance with democratic means and values, established institutions as well as constitutional provisions and doesn’t interfere in internal affairs and democratic processes of another country.”
Read: Wickremesinghe elected president in crisis-hit Sri Lanka
Exactly a week back, India denied helping then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flee the island nation for the Maldives, hours before he was to step down amid violent protests over the country’s worst economic crisis since independence.
Gotabaya’s unceremonious departure in the face of the violent protests was touted as a game-changing step, marking the end of the powerful Rajapaksa clan that dominated Sri Lankan politics for a good two decades.
Source: United News of Bangladesh