Sirisena says India-Lanka bridge claims are 'baseless'

Sri Lankan president says his predecessor’s supporters have seized on what Indian politicians uttered during elections in Tamil Nadu

Colombo: 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.

Sirisena Maithripala

“These are completely baseless claims. They have seized on what some Indian politicians had uttered during local elections in Tamil Nadu,” Sirisena said addressing a gathering here.

Udaya Gamma-npila, 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,” Sirisena said.

In the Parliament, Prime Minister Ranil Wickreme-singhe also denied any such move to build a bridge. The joint opposition has also mounted a stiff opposition to the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperative Agree-ment (ETCA) between Sri Lanka and India. They dub it as a sellout to India, which would deny Sri Lankans employment opportunities.

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