A needed ally

The change in guard in Sri Lanka should make India take note. Friendly overtures towards India may be present at the outset, but with hardliners calling for a Buddhist Sri Lanka it is interesting to see which way the establishment tilts. And taking into account the string of pearls, the fishermen issue and the rights of minorities in Sri Lanka, Narendra Modi’s astute acumen in juggling foreign affairs will be put to test. Sri Lanka will be our most-needed ally since our landlocked northern frontiers are trouble spots. At least on the free seas, we need a neutral entity like Sri Lanka.

Anoop Hosmath

Mysore