‘Grave risk to Tamils': Sri Lanka might return to unitary state, Govt India warned

By A Representative

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has sounded a pointed warning to the Union government over Sri Lanka’s fast-moving constitutional proposals, arguing that the latest reforms being pushed in Colombo pose “grave risks” to the already fragile political rights of Sri Lankan Tamils.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Stalin urged New Delhi to intervene diplomatically and insist that any constitutional reworking must devolve power to the provinces, protect ethnic minorities and uphold pluralism—principles that India has long endorsed in its own federal framework and encouraged in Sri Lanka after the civil war.

Stalin emphasised that India should not merely be a concerned neighbour but a guarantor of a fair and durable peace settlement. He argued that safeguarding Tamil rights in Sri Lanka is not only a moral obligation but central to India’s credibility as a regional stabiliser. His remarks came against the backdrop of what he described as the Sri Lankan government’s accelerated push to introduce a new Constitution that appears to centralise power, marginalise Tamils and bypass past commitments on autonomy.

The Chief Minister said recent developments suggest a drift toward a unitary Ekkīya rajya model that effectively ignores Tamil aspirations for self-governance. Such a move, he warned, risks undoing decades of advocacy, including the principles articulated by Tamil representatives during the 1985 Thimphu talks facilitated by India.

Echoing these concerns, policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy issued an even sharper caution, linking Sri Lanka’s internal reconfiguration to India’s strategic responsibilities and historic involvement. “The Sinhala regime in Colombo emboldened by a dominant mandate is contemplating imposing a unitary system overriding all earlier commitments made to the Tamil people of Srilanka and underwritten by the government of India with generous financial assistance,” he said.

Guruswamy questioned whether the Modi government would remain a spectator as Colombo rolls back political space granted to the Tamil minority. “Will the Modi government watch pliantly? This will once again sow the seeds for a civil war that this time might engulf India also,” he warned.

Guruswamy also contextualised the current political consolidation in Colombo within the economic chaos the island nation has endured. Sri Lanka’s 2022 meltdown, he said, was without precedent. Foreign reserves had collapsed to US$2.36 billion—barely a month’s imports—while inflation surged beyond 50 percent.

In April that year, Sri Lanka defaulted on its US$51 billion external debt for the first time in its history. A nation paralysed by fuel shortages, lengthy power cuts and soaring food prices leaned heavily on India, which emerged as a lifeline with timely loans, credit lines and humanitarian aid. Guruswamy argued that India’s extensive role in stabilising Sri Lanka—politically and financially—makes it impossible for New Delhi to claim detachment today.

Stalin’s intervention and Guruswamy’s commentary arrive at a delicate moment, when many Tamil leaders fear that the window for a negotiated, federal solution may be closing fast. The message from Chennai to New Delhi is unmistakable: India has influence, and at this juncture, choosing not to use it is also a choice—with ramifications that extend well beyond Sri Lanka’s shores, potentially spilling back to India’s own southern coast.

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