Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa hard, asking for him to deliver on his promises to devolve wide powers to the country’s Tamil-majority regions — a formula called ‘Thirteen-Plus’ that was promised during diplomatic negotiations with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in 2010.
“Early and full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond would contribute to this process,” Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh quoted Mr. Modi as telling the Sri Lankan President.
‘Thirteen-Plus’ has never been precisely defined, but the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution which created provincial councils and made both Tamil and Sinhala official languages.
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had boycotted Mr. Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday, to protest against his invitation to Mr. Rajapaksa.