Ranjan Jayalal, the National People’s Power (NPP) mayoral candidate for Kaduwela, has called on the opposition to take to the streets and rally public pressure over the Indo-Lanka agreements, suggesting that effective resistance should come in the form of mass protest.
Speaking during the Karata Kara television program, Jayalal emphasized that if the opposition truly believes the bilateral agreements signed with India are detrimental to Sri Lanka’s interests, it is their responsibility to lead the people in protest and demand accountability.
“We protested and mobilized the people when we were in the opposition. That is what a real opposition does,” Jayalal said, drawing a sharp contrast between the current opposition’s approach and the NPP’s past activism. “But this opposition doesn’t have that capability,” he added.
Govt remains silent
On August 19, 2023, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, then an opposition lawmaker, criticized a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe had signed with India. “We must have the freedom to freely move our hands and legs! But with this agreement, we will be in a situation where we are unable… to take any political or economic decision” independently, he said in a speech to National People’s Power (NPP) affiliated ex-military personnel.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as Sri Lanka’s president, oversaw the signing of a series of agreements with India, including a landmark Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6. Seven MoUs were signed during the visit, covering defense, energy, digitalization, healthcare, power grid connectivity, and development assistance.
However, President Dissanayake is yet to disclose what defence agreement Sri Lanka has reached with India.
Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that the details pertaining to the agreement could be requested through Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Act, in compliance with regulations and respecting the sensitivities of the bilateral relationship. He added that the details of the agreement will be made available to the public in due course.
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