NEWS reports in a national English daily on Saturday highlighted on India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka with the observations that India as a regional superpower is increasingly becoming ambitious to control small South Asian states on its periphery. It said under greater ‘maritime security cooperation’ strategy the new Indian Prime Minister is now at work to push China’s strategic presence out of the island state and replacing it with Indian presence under financial assistance for infrastructure development. Former Sri Lankan president Rajapaksey allowed Chinese presence in the island because he was able to defeat Tamil rebels with Chinese supplied armoury to end the 37 years civil war triggered by Indian support to the rebels. The war is now over and on election defeat of Rajapaksey, the new Indian government is at work to regain control over the island nation.
We know that traditionally the Indian government regarded Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean within its sphere of influence. But when China started to put in place its maritime Silk Road linking Sri Lanka and Maldives in high sea, India saw in it China’a attempt to encircle its maritime security by controlling sea lanes from energy-rich Persian Gulf linking with economic centers in eastern China. So India has made Sri Lanka and Maldives the immediate focus to regain control and observers fear Bangladesh may possibly come next.
The report said the Indian Prime Minister has already made significant gains in Sri Lanka politics as the new President Maithripala Sirisena has recently suspended a huge Chinese government funded housing project of US$ 1.4 billion. India instead extended US$ 1.81 billion in aid to Sri Lanka to discourage the new president from taking Chinese loans. During his visit to Sri Lanka Narendra Modi has also reiterated his support to Tamils saying he wants to see them living “a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a united Sri Lanka.” Skeptics fear his new Tamil policy may be open to explain either way.
The attitude of India with its neighbours is very important for peace and stability and more so for Bangladesh as it remains surrounded by porous border on almost all sides. Bangladesh is reeling under serious political violence and there is no denying of the fact that the present Awami League government is having its political and strategic support from the Indian establishments. To our utter surprise, the Indian government still not clearly speaking its mind on Bangladesh situation when people are dying here in daily violence. Bangladesh is waiting in an uncertain time and we believe we must be watchful to keep our nation safe from interventions by anyone from outside our borders.
