India, Sri Lanka and the unfinished Tamil question

Argument
By Editor_1
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (L) with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ceremonial reception at the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday (December 16, 2024) Dissanayake is in India on his first overseas visit as head of state, vowing to bolster ties between the neighbours – Indian HC/Sri Lanka/File

By Raj Sivanathan

In regional politics yesterday’s adversaries often become today’s strategic partners. History repeatedly shows that geopolitical interests can override past hostilities. This reality now raises a deeply unsettling question for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. If former adversaries of India can become its trusted partners, does it also mean long standing friends of the Tamil people risk becoming inconvenient voices when strategic interests demand silence?

This question gains immediate relevance in the context of the anticipated visit of Tilvin Silva, a senior ideologue of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to New Delhi following Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations. His visit is expected to take place at a politically sensitive moment particularly with regard to the future of the Provincial Council system and the continued postponement of Provincial Council elections.

Tilvin Silva is a long standing and vocal opponent of the Provincial Council framework, which remains the only surviving constitutional outcome of the Indo Lanka Accord. It is the sole treaty based political arrangement that recognizes a measure of power sharing and devolution to the regions. Despite this status, the system has never been fully implemented by any government. Under the National People’s Power (NPP) government, this resistance has become more explicit with recent Central Committee decisions signalling further delays to elections under the pretext of disaster recovery and administrative constraints.

Against this backdrop Silva’s engagement with Indian policymakers carries serious implications. His discussions are likely to focus on reframing Provincial Councils as an outdated or impractical structure while advancing arguments centred on national unity governance efficiency and post crisis recovery. The concern for Tamils is whether such narratives will be accepted without adequate consideration of treaty obligations democratic principles and the long-standing aspirations of the Tamil people in the North and East.

What is particularly troubling is that this resistance to Provincial Councils appears to align comfortably with India’s broader strategic engagement with Sri Lanka. This engagement has been reinforced through significant financial and geopolitical commitments including multibillion dollar assistance allocations under India’s regional policy priorities. For Tamils, this raises a painful and legitimate concern. Where do Tamil rights and political aspirations fit within this expanding strategic partnership?

Sri Lanka celebrates Independence Day each year with official ceremonies national pride and political rhetoric. Yet, for Tamils the same day evokes loss dispossession and broken promises. This is why Independence Day continues to be opposed or mourned by many Tamil communities year after year. Political independence did not translate into equality justice or security. Instead, it marked the beginning of systematic marginalization, land alienation and decades of conflict.

Even under the NPP government, which secured notable electoral support from Tamil voters, particularly in the North and East, the disconnect remains stark. Despite representation and symbolic inclusion, the government has failed to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil people. This failure is driven by persistent mistrust reinforced by policy decisions and actions on the ground that mirror past patterns rather than signal genuine transformation.

Recent land acquisition initiatives including the controversial Kual project in the Trincomalee district have further deepened this mistrust. The mass protests held on February 2 involving all major Tamil political parties and widespread public participation reflected a collective rejection of unilateral state action without consultation consent or transparency. These protests were not isolated incidents, but expressions of accumulated frustration rooted in historical experience.

In this context calls for Tamil political unity should not be dismissed as obstructionism. Nor should external actors default to blaming Tamil parties for fragmentation or resistance. The vulnerability of the North and East is not accidental. It is the outcome of decades of unresolved commitments, regional power politics and selective implementation of agreements that left Tamil regions politically and economically exposed.

India now carries a responsibility that extends beyond diplomatic balance. It must engage meaningfully and without delay with the government to address the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people including self-determination peace and long-term stability. This requires firm commitment to enforcing the Indo Lanka Accord with first priority given to the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and the immediate restoration of Provincial Council elections.

Whether elections are held in all nine provinces simultaneously or phased beginning with the North and East is an administrative decision. What is not acceptable is the continued postponement of the democratic process or the repetition of assurances that are quietly abandoned. Delaying elections undermines democracy erodes trust and perpetuates instability.

If India seeks to be recognized as a responsible regional power and a genuine partner to all communities in Sri Lanka it must demonstrate leadership rather than silence. Strategic partnerships must not come at the cost of abandoning treaty obligations or minority rights. True leadership lies in ensuring justice accountability and democratic governance for all. Only then can India credibly claim the role of a big brother not only to the Tamils but to the whole of Sri Lanka.

-This article was originally featured on groundviews.org

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