On Thursday, the Indian government reiterated that it has no role to play in the travel of the former President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and that the country had never helped him escape from Sri Lanka.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the High Commission of India in the Maldives rubbished all such claims made by the media channels who said that India had sent a private jet to the Maldives for Rajapaksa at the request of the Government of Maldives.
High Commission categorically denies baseless reports that suggest that Govt. of India was involved in the reported transit of @GotabayaR through the Maldives.
— India in Maldives (@HCIMaldives) July 14, 2022
This is probably after NDTV, the Leftist news channel falsely claimed in a report that Rajapaksa was transported from the Maldives to Singapore in a private jet that was sent by India. “#JustIn: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is currently at Velana International Airport. He is getting ready to depart in a private jet that is yet to arrive from Delhi”, NDTV had tweeted.
The media channel also added in the tweet that the arrangement for Rajapaksa was done after the Government of Maldives requested the Government of India to help in the case. The Indian government rubbished all such claims and reiterated on Thursday that it had no hand in arranging the travels of Rajapaksa. “India has no role in Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa’s travel from the country or in facilitating the same”, MEA said.
Reportedly, the NDTV pulled down the tweet with false claims on July 14. Earlier too, the Indian High Commission in Colombo had refused to have helped the outgoing Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa flee to the Maldives. Extending support to the people of Sri Lanka amid the mounting political and economic problems in the country, the High Commission had said that the media reports which claimed that India helped Rajapaksa escape from Sri Lanka were ‘baseless and speculative’.
Govt of India denied this. Now deleted by the Jehadi channel, but Govt seems to be in no mood to punish them for non-stop anti-national propaganda pic.twitter.com/TRdYSSksWj
— iMac_too (@iMac_too) July 15, 2022
The MEA meanwhile added that India will stand by the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions, and a constitutional framework.
Sri Lanka’s troubled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned on Thursday, just after arriving in Singapore, according to the House speaker’s office. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena’s spokesperson said Rajapaksa resigned by email, hours after the 73-year-old leader arrived in the city-state after demonstrators overran his palace over the weekend.
In the evening, a Saudi Airlines flight carrying Rajapaksa touched down at Singapore Changi International Airport. In response to media inquiries, a representative for the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that he had not requested or been given asylum. According to the spokeswoman, Singapore does not normally accept asylum requests.
Sri Lanka, a nation of 22 million inhabitants, is experiencing an unparalleled economic downturn, the worst in seven decades, with millions unable to purchase food, medication, energy, and other commodities. Wickremesinghe, the country’s acting president, proclaimed a state of emergency yesterday.
