Chennai: In a damage control exercise after an article on its defence ministry’s website created an uproar in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan government Friday tendered an “unqualified apology” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
“An article titled ‘How meaningful are Jayalalitha’s love letters to Narendra Modi?’ had appeared on our website along with a graphical portrayal of Hon. Prime Minister of India and Hon Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” read a statement hosted on the defence ministry’s website.
It said that the article “which had been published without appropriate authorisation and not reflecting any official position” of the Sri Lankan government or the defence ministry has since been removed.
“We extend an unqualified apology to the Hon Prime Minister of India and Hon Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” it added.
Setting aside their differences, political parties in Tamil Nadu Friday strongly backed Jayalalithaa.
Hours after the article was published, it led to political furore accompanied by protests by AIADMK and Tamil outfits in various parts of the state besides NDA allies demanding India severe ties with Colombo even as the piece was later removed from the website.
The state BJP unit said publishing of such a derogatory article in an official website was not acceptable.
The party’s state general secretary Vanathy Srinivasan said that India should summon the Sri Lankan envoy and “convey our feelings.”
“We should strongly condemn it as it was published in an official website of the Sri Lankan government,” she said.
However, she was not in favour of severing ties with the island nation, as demanded by her party’s Tamil Nadu allies, PMK and MDMK.
The DMK also slammed the Sri Lankan government over the episode and demanded an apology.
Party spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan described the article, which mocked Jayalalithaa’s writing of letters to Modi on issues involving Sri Lanka, as “cheap”.
No matter what the differences were, a Chief Minister cannot be depicted in such manner, he said.
PMK founder S Ramadoss said that the article was bad in taste and not only demeaned Jayalalithaa, but also Modi.
On criticism in the article about Jayalalithaa writing letters to Modi on issues relating to Indian fishermen involving Sri Lanka, he said such commentary in an official government site amounted to interfering in the internal affairs of the country.
He alleged that the visit of a BJP delegation led by party leader Subramanian Swamy, perceived to be close to the Sri Lankan administration, to Sri Lanka had emboldened that country to make such remarks.
“The Sri Lankan President (Mahinda Rajapakse) and Defence Secretary should apologise for the article. If the Sri Lankan government declines to do so, India should not hesitate to severe its relations with that country,” Ramadoss said. He said it was not proper to degrade Jayalalithaa, who was not only an elected leader, but also a woman.
