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Sri Lanka Parliamentarians’ enthusiasm was not dampened by the heavy downpour around the Parliament Complex in Kotte on Friday afternoon, as they welcomed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a special session of the House.

Even though he had to ‘bypass’ the ceremonial red carpet laid out for him at the entrance to Parliament, as the unrelenting rain lashed down as he arrived at the Legislature, he was warmly welcomed by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa as well as Parliamentary staff members, and escorted into the Chamber.

Prime Minister Modi addressed the House after Speaker Rajapaksa welcomed him to the Sri Lanka Parliament. He is the fourth Indian Prime Minister to address Members of the Sri Lanka Parliament, and the first to do so at the Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte, complex. His predecessors include independent India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962, while his daughter Shrimathi Indira Gandhi addressed it in 1973, followed by Morarji Desai in 1979.
During his address that lasted around half-an-hour, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the historical, cultural and religious ties that bind the two countries.

“To the people of Sri Lanka, Ayubovan, Vanakkam and Salaams. I bring the greetings of 1.25 billion friends and millions of fans of Sri Lanka cricket. I bring blessings from the land of Bodh Gaya to the land of Anuradhapura. I stand here in respect of our shared heritage and, in commitment to our shared future,” Mr Modi said.

Indian Premier Narendra Modi (above) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickrememsinghe addressing Parliament on Friday. Pix by Amila Gamage

He also noted that the ties that bind the two countries are deep. “India and Sri Lanka don’t have a land boundary, but we are the closest neighbors in every sense. No matter where you look in India or Sri Lanka, the many strands of our links- religion, language, culture, food, customs, traditions and epics- come together in a deep and strong bond of familiarity and friendship,” he said.

At the conclusion of his speech, the Indian Prime Minister said he had come to build a bridge between the two countries. One that “rests on strong pillars of our shared inheritance; of shared values and vision; of mutual support and solidarity; of friendly exchanges and productive cooperation; and, above all, belief in each other and our shared destiny.”

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who spoke after the Indian Prime Minister, said the visit by Mr Modi would be the start of a new chapter in relations between the two countries and that, Sri Lanka and India are “two sides of the same coin”, having the same objective to strive forward for the benefit of the people of the two nations.

Leader of the Opposition, Nimal Siripala De Silva who delivered the vote of thanks, paid tribute to Mr Modi for his “simplicity, dedication and determination, coupled with a disciplined lifestyle, which he said was the secret to Mr Modi’s great success. “You are a self-made man worthy of emulation, and a glowing example to all our politicians in Sri Lanka and the SAARC region,” he said.

Mr. Modi joined the Sri Lanka’s Parliamentarians to tea in the MPs’ lobby at the end of the special session. Here he mingled with MPs and enjoyed the vegetarian spread laid out especially in his honour.

As his convoy drove away from the Parliamentary complex, the rain had stopped and the dark clouds had moved away. The tone of his speech as well as the warm welcome accorded to him across party lines from the Lanka’s Parliamentarians could indeed signal the start of a brighter and more productive relationship between the two countries.