Are India and Sri Lanka friends?
On October 30, 1964, the Prime Minister of Ceylon, Sirima Bandaranaike, and her Indian counterpart, Lal Bahadur Shastri, signed a historic agreement.
This agreement was no ordinary document; it was a unique accord that would shape the course of the two nations’ relationship for years to come.
The signing of this agreement marked a significant milestone in the diplomatic history of the Indian subcontinent, and it will be remembered for generations to come.
This agreement is known as the Sirima-Shastri Pact
Today marks the conclusion of the matter intended to be resolved through an agreement. Unfortunately, the agreement failed to come to fruition as India could not implement its terms within the required time frame.
Indian people living in Sri Lanka
During the British rule of Ceylon and India, Tamil Nadu people were brought to Ceylon to work in the cultivation of tea, rubber, and coconut.
By 1921, the number of Tamil people brought in had increased to 602,700, and by 1936, it had rapidly increased to 1,123,000. This migration accounted for 15.3% of Ceylon’s population.
However, over time, the Indian Tamil population began to rapidly increase, creating political pressure in Ceylon. Even now, many of them do not hold Ceylon citizenship.
This situation caused the Sinhalese people to become unhappy with the rapid growth of Tamil people of Indian origin. This was because the Tamil people were settled in lands that used to belong to the Sinhalese people but were illegally appropriated by the British under the guise of “wasteland”.
The Tamil people were then brought in to work on these estates, which further added to the Sinhalese people’s discontent.
Ceylon after independence
The Sinhalese people were aware of the increasing number of Tamil people from India settling in Ceylon and opposed it. As a result, they were forced to send these people back to India.
In 1948, the Ceylon Citizen Ship Bill was passed, granting Sri Lankan citizenship to 5,000 Indian Tamils. However, this left approximately 700,000 Tamil residents of Ceylon stateless.
In 1954, John Kotalawala, the Prime Minister of Ceylon, and Indian Prime Minister Nehru attempted to resolve the crisis through an agreement, but it proved unsuccessful.
By 1962, there were roughly 975,000 Tamil people of Indian origin in Ceylon, but India did not recognize them as Indian citizens. As a result, these people became stateless and without a country.
Sirima-Shastri Agreement
In 1964, an agreement was reached between Ceylon and India despite facing many obstacles. As per the agreement, 300,000 Tamil people of Indian origin were granted Ceylon citizenship.
They also agreed to repatriate 525,000 people back to India. Additionally, the fate of the remaining 150,000 people was to be determined in the future.
However, implementing this agreement was not accessible due to the complexity of the problem. Many of these inhabitants had lived in Ceylon for over a century and were unwilling to move to India.
Furthermore, difficulties arose in selecting the people to be repatriated to India.
Changing the country of Ceylon to Sri Lanka
In May of 1972, the island nation of Ceylon officially changed its name to Sri Lanka.
The country had been under British colonial rule for nearly 150 years, and the name change was a symbolic move towards asserting its independence and cultural identity.
At the time of the name change, Sirima Bandaranaike served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, making her the world’s first elected female head of government.
The name change marked a significant shift in the country’s political and social landscape. Still, it did not address the long-standing issue of the Tamil people, who had Indian origins and were facing discrimination.
The Tamil people had been struggling for their rights and representation in the country, and the name change did not bring about any tangible change in their situation.
katchatheevu
Katchatheevu Island, a small but strategically important island, was the subject of much debate in 1974 when it was officially declared to belong to Sri Lanka.
The decision was made based on the Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime Agreement, signed by Indira Gandhi, the then-prime minister of India, and Sirima Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
Despite the agreement, the decision to give up ownership of the island did not sit well with many Indian citizens, particularly those residing in Tamil Nadu.
Even today, they continue to voice their opposition to the agreement. However, for Sri Lanka, the decision was a significant victory and cemented their territorial claim over the island.
The Indian people of Sri Lanka are helpless
According to the Sirima-Shastri Agreement, which India agreed upon, very few people were brought to India under this agreement. By 1981, only 280,000 people had gone to India through this agreement.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan citizenship was granted to 160,000 people. There is some doubt that India deceived Sri Lanka during the implementation of this agreement.
In 1982, India stopped following the agreement. As a result, 245,000 people of Indian origin who were supposed to go to India got stranded in Sri Lanka. This also includes the 150,000 who had to make a decision later. Therefore, there are nearly 400,000 Indian people left in Sri Lanka.
Ultimately, the decision to grant citizenship to these people will be taken by Sri Lanka. As per that decision, all the Indian people in Sri Lanka at that time should be granted citizenship. This happened in 2003.
Sirima-Shastri Pact and Katchatheevu Island
The following text has been proofread and revised for clarity:
After officially handing over Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka, India has faced issues with Tamil Nadu politicians who attempted to regain control of the island.
Recently, Prime Minister Modi reignited this issue during election season by discussing the possibility of reclaiming Katchatheevu Island, which was officially given to Sri Lanka.
This situation raises questions about the violation of the Sirima-Shastri Agreement in 1964, which was meant to repatriate Tamil people of Indian origin to India. If India intends to reclaim Katchatheevu Island, shouldn’t they also repatriate the Tamil people in Sri Lanka who are of Indian origin back to India?
While it’s true that Indian Tamil people in Sri Lanka belong to Sri Lanka, India must acknowledge that both Katchatheevu Island and the Tamil people are the property of Sri Lanka.
Additionally, the previous agreements made by India with Sri Lanka have yet to benefit Sri Lanka. As a large country, it’s not appropriate for India to pressure Sri Lanka, a smaller country.
