SRI LANKA : Historic Betrayal – Opportunistic Agreement Signed Between Anura and Modi

April 17, 2025 Siritunga Jayasuriya, United Socialist Party (CWI Sri Lanka) Sri Lanka

On the 54th anniversary of the rebellion launched by Wijeweera (founder of the JVP – Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) on April 5, 1971, there has been great curiosity and discussion in Sri Lankan society about the new agreements that the government made with the Indian government, which also include security agreements. The current JVP leader and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake signed these agreements with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, forgetting their own history in the JVP of a prolonged campaign against Indian expansionism.

Although the government announced that several agreements were to be signed with the Indian Prime Minister, the contents were kept secret until the very end when they were signed. It has now been revealed that the agreements to be signed between Sri Lanka and India were not reported to Parliament and were not even discussed in the Cabinet. The Sri Lankan people learned some details only after the Indian media reported them.

The JVP has maintained a strong anti-India stance based on Sinhala nationalism throughout its political existence. This stance dates back to the “Indian expansionism” mentioned in the five founding principles of the JVP. In 1987, the JVP launched a second rebellion against the Indo-Lanka Accord signed by Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayewardene, during which a number of prominent leaders of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the Communist Party, the Mahajana Party, the New Sama Samajwadi Party, and trade union leaders were assassinated under the banner of the Patriotic People’s Movement. Furthermore, the public was prohibited from buying Indian goods such as onions and lentils, and several Indian businessmen were also assassinated. The JVP opposed the concept of Provincial Councils introduced by the Indo-Lanka Accord, boycotted the Provincial Council elections, and violently suppressed those who attempted to vote. The oppressive capitalist state machinery that operated concurrently during this period of terror took advantage of the situation, launching a counterattack and increasing state repression. Ultimately, the state executed brutal measures against JVP leaders, including Rohana Wijeweera and Upatissa Gamanayake. Thus, the JVP has a long history of anti-India sentiment rooted in Sinhala nationalism and has shown no vision of Marxism or awareness of developments in the international class struggle. They never appealed to the Indian working class, instead promoting racist anti-Indian campaigns.

The agreements signed by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as the leader of the JVP and the National People’s Force, with Indian Prime Minister Modi on April 5 should be considered in the context of the anti-India background that the JVP has maintained. It is impossible to fully discuss these agreements given that Anura Kumara’s government has not yet made them public. In this context, the NPP government’s statements that the security agreement with India is nothing new are completely false.

It is true that Anura follows all the policies of the former capitalist UNP (United National Party) leadership. At the same time, it is clear that Anura is attempting to conceal the fact that the Anura-Modi security agreement will decisively impact the future of Sri Lanka. No one from the Sri Lankan side participated in drafting this agreement, and even the heads of the security forces were apparently unaware of it. This agreement was imposed by India on Sri Lanka under the guise of friendship. Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri held a press conference in Sri Lanka during Modi’s visit, stating that the security interests of India and Sri Lanka are intertwined and that this has been acknowledged by the leaders of both countries. Importantly, all activities during Modi’s visit, except for the official welcoming ceremony, were not covered by the Sri Lankan media. Instead, Indian media largely reported on Modi’s every move, and the Sri Lankan people learned about the agreements primarily through those reports. Furthermore, Sri Lanka’s security network was completely sidelined, with a large number of special Indian security personnel deployed to ensure Prime Minister Modi’s security.

The so-called “left” government has thus far shown no strength in implementing pro-worker policies. Even left-leaning social democrats showed some vigour in the past. In 1971, former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike closed down the Israeli embassy in Sri Lanka, suspended all ties with Israel, and expelled all diplomats. But Anura Kumara has become a weak president who fulfils the desires of great powers, including America and India.

As the leader of the NPP government, Anura Kumara has clearly made a 180-degree turn from the history of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. What he is doing is a process that defends the capitalist system—something that former leaders like Mahinda Rajapaksa or Ranil Wickremesinghe could not carry out easily due to fear of opposition. This anti-people program that he is implementing is something that the 6.6 million people who voted for the National People’s Force did not expect and is a blatant violation of the promises he made to the people during the election campaign. Even the capitalist media were shocked by this blatant action, which was reflected in the editorials of many papers on April 6th and 7th.

The Sunday Times editorial on April 6th wrote, “India asserts its way. Lanka left with muted say. All of that contained quite a bagful—for India, which, somehow, Colombo seemed eager to downplay—keeping the national press out of yesterday’s proceedings apart from covering the guard of honour. As if they had something to hide.” The Daily Mirror, on the other hand, called it “Political opportunism.”

The National People’s Power government has forgotten its election promises and initial commitments and is pursuing a neoliberal political agenda in line with the interests of the imperialist powers and the International Monetary Fund, shattering the expectations of the people who brought them to power. This backdrop will provide an opportunity for the traditional reactionary forces that have brought the country to ruin, and the working class and oppressed people must take the lead in defeating them. This situation has compelled the working class, the oppressed people of Sri Lanka, as well as the Tamil people of the North, to think critically and find new ways for future political action.

It should be emphasized that the only alternative is to fight for a socialist program against the reactionary policies being implemented by the NPP government, which has already compromised itself. It is evident from the statements of its leaders that the NPP government is already prepared to embark on a repressive journey against trade unions. Understanding this situation, a people’s movement should be built to compel the government to fulfil the promises made to the people by the NPP. The working class should play a central role in building such a mass force. On the other hand, the trade union movement should come forward to organize the working class to take decisive actions to defeat the neoliberal program.
https://www.socialistworld.net/2025/04/17/sri-lanka-historic-betrayal-opportunistic-agreement-signed-between-anura-and-modi/?

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