In the recently concluded Presidential election in Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa defeated Sajith Premadasa with a margin of over 13 Lakh votes becoming the 2nd member from the Rajapaksa family to become the president.
Crux of the Matter
The 70-year old leader is a former wartime defence secretary and the younger brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa is credited with helping to end the civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during his tenure as defence secretary.
PM Narendra Modi congratulated and conveyed his best wishes to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the telephone on his electoral victory & extended an invitation to visit India.
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed invitation was accepted by the President Rajapaksa and he will visit India on November 29.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made an unannounced visit to Sri Lanka on 19th November and met the new president to strengthen the bilateral ties.
Mr.Rajapaksa has expressed his readiness to work with India very closely to ensure development and security.
Curiopedia
Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician, technocrat, military officer. He has served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015. In 1983, he also gained a Masters in Defence Studies from the University of Madras. Under the administration of his elder brother former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he had led the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to the defeat the Tamil Tigers, ending the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. He is hailed as a war hero by most Sinhalese for ending a three-decade civil war. He was a top target of the Tamil Tigers, survived an assassination attempt in December 2006 by an LTTE suicide bomber. More Info
Curated Coverage
Comments