President Maithripala Sirisena has rubbished as “baseless” claims by supporters of his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa that Sri Lanka had agreed to an Indian proposal to build a bridge linking the island to India.
“These are completely baseless claims. They have seized on what some Indian politicians had uttered during local elections in Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Sirisena said addressing a gathering here last night.
Udaya Gammanpila, a Rajapaksa backer, had threatened to set the bridge on fire in a public statement.
“I heard him saying this, I ask him not to talk nonsense. There is no such bridge,” Mr. Sirisena said.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also in parliament yesterday denied moves to build a bridge.
The joint opposition has also mounted a stiff opposition to the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperative Agreement (ETCA) between Sri Lanka and India.
They dub it as a sell-out to India which would deny Sri Lankans employment opportunities.
