What Change of Government in Sri Lanka means for India

India of late had had not so good relations with the Srilankan government. The Rajapaksa government after its triumph over LTTE has not been generous in relationship with India. In fact, he did took the Indian Government for granted and annoyed it to some extent.

The previous governments action has hit Indian interests in many ways

After Sri Lanka allowed a Chinese submarine to dock at the Colombo port for the second time, India conveyed to Rajapaksa that his government's action was inimical to India's interests, but the Srilankan government did not pay heed to it. He favoured The Chinese the other way as well. China's role as donor grew manifold under Rajapaksa and this happened at the expense of Japan, India's close friend and strategic partner. India also believes that Rajapaksa courted China assiduously and allowed Beijing to execute projects which made no business sense and with loans at high interest rates.

But a change in guard in Colombo is set to change it all. With Sirisena set to head the government its political and economic implications are set to restructure the South Asian relations for better.

Political Impact in the new scenario

Sri Lanka's Tamil National Alliance is backing the newly elected president Sirisena This gives India hope he will be more amenable to the demands of Tamil minorities. India has been keen on getting Sri Lanka back in its fold. India is really fearful of ceding a strategic spot in the Indian Ocean where China is trying to build up presence particularly in Hambantota port. With Srilanka as its friend, India will be able to have a far reaching impact on its blue water navy.

The Economic impact is going to be even more better

Lanka remains vital, sitting next to shipping lanes that feed 80% of China's and 65% of India's oil needs Bilateral ties under Sirisena will likely see more focus on the state of Sri Lanka's economy. India will look at improving trade ties with Lanka, which used to be its largest trading partner in South Asia till Bangladesh took that position. The stalled Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries could see new momentum.