21 February 2024 04:31 pm Views - 2439
By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera
SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekara told Parliament that the President's efforts to rescue the country from economic shambles was praiseworthy and that he was against it if Sri Lanka was gradually subjected to indianisation.
"We are against if the Indian rupee is used in Sri Lanka or Sri Lanka becoming the 29th State of India. We highly appreciate the support extended to Sri Lanka by India. However, we are against providing the airports to Indian investors. The airport, the access point to the country is a sensitive place. It is a threat to the sovereignty of the country if a foreign company gets hold of the country's airport," he said.
The MP said Sri Lanka should not sign the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India, adding that this would allow Indians to find employment opportunities in Sri Lanka.
"We are against if Sri Lanka is going to sign the ETCA agreement with India. This will allow Indians to enter the country for employment. There are 44 million people without jobs in India. Some 200,000 doctors are without jobs in India. Around 1.5 million engineers pass out anually from universities in India and 42 percent of the graduates below 25 years of age are unemployed. Allowing Indians to find employment in Sri Lanka will pose a threat to Sri Lankans," he said..