Hundreds of Sri Lankan nationalists on Tuesday staged a demonstration near the Indian High Commission in Colombo and burnt the effigy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to protest against the “undue influence” from India on Colombo to implement the >13 th amendment .
Activists from the Nationalist Organisations gathered opposite the Indian mission carrying portraits of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jayalalithaa.
Protesters later burnt the effigy of Jayalalithaa.
“We are here to protest against the >undue influence exerted by Jayalalithaa on the Indian government to act against Sri Lanka”, Dr Wasantha Bandara, a spokesman of the protesters said.
Bengamuve Nalaka, a Buddhist monk said Jayalalithaa was acting at the behest of the Western powers who are anti Sri Lanka.
The nationalist allies of President Rajapaksa have been irked by the >new Indian government’s insistence on implementing the thirteenth amendment .
Sri Lanka’s >thirteenth amendment was introduced in 1987 as a result of direct Indian intervention to try and resolve the ethnic impasse in the island.
“We want to tell India that all communities could leave in peaceful co—existence here. The thirteenth amendment could upset the hard earned peace after 30 years of war,” Nalaka said.
Sri Lanka last week had said that despite a call by India for full implementation of the thirteenth amendment, no police powers could be granted to the provinces.
Colombo also said the granting of police and land control powers to the Tamil controlled northern province could be the stepping stone for the creation of a separate Tamil state.
