New Delhi: Sri Lankan opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa has asked President Maithripala Sirisena to reveal the RAW agents in his cabinet, as has been alleged by his minister Mahinda Amaraweera.
In a report in the Daily Mirror, Amaraweera, the general secretary of the President Maithripala Sirisena’s own party, was quoted as saying that the names of the four ministers with RAW links will be exposed.
Slamming the Sirisena government over lack of information, Namal, who is the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said that the statement by Amamraweera, which came close on the heels of Sirisena allegedly saying that RAW was planning to assassinate him, were grave.
“There is no proper information given to us. No information has been shared with the public. There is said to be an investigation going on against the DIG and few others but there is no proper information given to us,” Namal told News18, adding that such statements could not be taken lightly.
Calling the government to be transparent, he said the statements made by the leaders was serious enough to create international conspiracies.
“If the President or Amaraweera have any evidence to say there are RAW agents, there should be a proper investigation. Sirisena must have an independent inquiry about these statements. It involves two neighboring countries with very strong bilateral relationships,” he further said.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last week reportedly told his Cabinet that Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was plotting his assassination, a charge that was immediately denied by the President’s office.
The Hindu had quoted sources present at the meeting as saying that Sirisena had told those present in the meeting that RAW was “trying to kill him”, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi “may not be aware of the plan”.
Senior presidential advisor Shiral Lakthilaka has denied the report, calling it false.
The alleged statement by Sirisena put both nations into damage control mode, which included a phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sri Lankan President. Foreign ministries of both countries issued statements too.
This is not the first time that a Sri Lankan leader has accused the Indian agency of interference. Following his poll defeat in 2015, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa held RAW among those responsible for the change in regime.