Minister of post and telecommunications Nandana Goonathilake also claimed India's "strengthened" LTTE and the country's intelligence agency -- RAW -- created other militant organisations in the country.
A Sri Lankan federal minister today alleged that "certain Indian officials" wanted president Mahinda Rajapaksa to lose the recent polls and worked towards it, but India rejected the claims saying it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Minister of post and telecommunications Nandana Goonathilake also claimed India's "strengthened" LTTE and the country's intelligence agency -- RAW -- created other militant organisations in the country after recognising that Sri Lanka has been building good relations with the US.
"Even at the recent presidential elections certain Indian officials did not want president Mahinda Rajapaksa to win. Not the Indian government or the Indian prime minister but certain individuals," he told Daily Mirror.
"We believe they worked towards defeating the president. That is the way intelligence services work. History shows us the manner governments work is quite different," the minister said in an interview to the paper.
However, India rejected the allegations and said it is "scrupulously known for our non-interference in other's internal affairs."
"I think people make subjective assessments. But objectively speaking and I think if you ask president Mahinda Rajapaksa or anybody, any senior leader in Sri Lanka they will agree (that India does not interfere in other country's matters)," sources said.
Goonathileke said sometimes the way RAW operates and the way that the Government of India operates are very different.
"We have seen examples of this in the past. RAW has a long-term agenda of how they want relations in the region to progress so-as- to maintain their dominance in the region," Gonnathilake said.
"... However governments change and as governments change their political motivations also change. But there is a conflict of interest with RAW. This is why I said though the Indian government was for President Rajapaksa, particular officials worked against him," he said. He also said at one point India permitted LTTE training camps to operate in that country.
"It supplied them with arms and finances. TELO, EPRLF, ENDLF etc are all organizations which were developed with the assistance of India's intelligence service. Books written by Dixit (former Indian diplomat) and other Indian leaders and local writers have exposed this. It is now a commonly known fact," he said.
The minister it was due to the short-sighted foreign policy followed by the former president JR Jayewardene that caused India to become a problem.
"It was because the then government followed a pro-American foreign policy," the minister, who crossed over from the JVP to the ruling coalition a few years ago, said.
"India recognised Sri Lanka was building very close relations with America and felt if it continued it would work against Indian interests. They were therefore forced to intervene in the issue."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}