Sri Lanka crisis unprecedented, but comparisons 'uninformed': EAM Jaishankar at all-party meet

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar | (File image: Reuters)

The crisis in Sri Lanka is "unprecedented" and the government is worried about the possibilities of a spillover, but the comparisons being drawn are "uninformed", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, during an all-party meeting convened in New Delhi on July 19.

"This is a very serious crisis," Jaishankar said, adding that "this is the reason why we took the initiative to request you all to join an all-party meeting".

The meeting was attended by several leaders from the Opposition ranks, including senior Congress MPs P Chidambaram and Manickam Tagore, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and DMK's T R Baalu, among others.

Jaishankar, while making the initial remarks during the meeting, said the unfolding situation in Sri Lanka is a "matter which pertains to a very close neighbour".

Also Read | India to invest more in Sri Lanka after crisis support of $3.8 billion

"Given the near proximity, we naturally worry about the consequences, the spillover it has for us,'' he added.

"The situation is unprecedented and India is worried about it. But drawing comparisons is uninformed," the minister said.

Jaishankar's remarks comes in the backdrop of a section of the Opposition claiming that India may face Sri Lanka-like situation in the coming years.

"In the last 2-3 years, media, institutions, BJP leaders, RSS have hidden the truth. Slowly the truth will come out. That is what is happening in Sri Lanka. The truth came out there. The truth will come out in India," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said in April, days after protests erupted in the island nation against the government headed by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

More recently, the party's Maharashtra unit said that the situation in India is similar to what it was in Sri Lanka a few years ago.

If steps are not taken in time considering the gravity, it will not take long for the situation in the country to become explosive, Congress' Maharashtra unit spokesperson Atul Londhe said on July 13.

Sri Lanka, notably, is facing its worst economic crisis in seven decades, with a severe foreign exchange shortage hampering the import of essentials, including food, fuel and medicines.

The economic crisis has also sparked a political crisis, as a popular uprising led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in May, followed by the exit of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last week.

With protests still continuing, acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency in the country.

(With PTI inputs)