Sri Lanka’s Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa on Monday refuted claims of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) planning to set up a political unit in Sri Lanka. It said, the country’s electoral law does not permit any such arrangement.
The development comes after Tripura CM Biplab Deb said Amit Shah, when serving as BJP president, had told party leaders that the BJP would establish rule in other regional countries as part of ‘Atmanirbhar South Asia’ initiative. Deb said the BJP deeply valued the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) partnership.
“Any Sri Lankan political party or group is permitted to have external links with any party or group overseas. But, our electoral laws do not permit overseas political parties to work here,” Punchihewa told reporters.
Punchihewa’s comments came after media reports quoted Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb as saying that the BJP was planning to extend its footprint in Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Biplab Deb’s ‘BJP in Nepal’ comment upsets Kathmandu, draws ‘formal objection’
Nepal has conveyed its “formal objection” to India over Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s remarks about expanding the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) influence to Sri Lanka and Nepal and forming governments there.
Deb, who is no stranger to controversy, created a flutter when he told an event held in Agartala on February 13 that Union home minister Amit Shah had purportedly talked about plans to expand the BJP’s influence in neighbouring countries.
Responding to a tweet from a Nepalese citizen on Deb’s comments, Nepal’s foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali said on Tuesday, “Noted. Formal objection has been already conveyed.” Gyawali didn’t give details.
People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Nepal’s ambassador in New Delhi, Nilamber Acharya, had spoken on phone with Arindam Bagchi, joint secretary (North) in the external affairs ministry, to convey Nepal’s reservations over the chief minister’s remarks and to seek clarification. Bagchi is responsible for relations with Nepal and Bhutan.
There was no immediate response from Indian officials on the matter. The external affairs ministry has not made any comment so far on the chief minister’s remarks.
While addressing the event in Agartala, Deb had referred to comments purportedly made by Shah during a visit to Tripura some time ago when he was the BJP president.
Video footage of the event showed Deb, who spoke in a mix of Bengali and Hindi, saying, “We were talking during a meeting at the state guest house when Ajay Jamwal (BJP’s zonal secretary for the northeast) said the BJP was in a good position as it was in power in many states. In reply, Amit Shah said Sri Lanka and Nepal are still left. We have to take the party there and win there as well.”
