Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to arrive in New Delhi today, likely to discuss India-backed projects in Jaffna

New Delhi: Sri Lanka prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will arrive in New Delhi on Thursday on a three-day visit which comes in the backdrop of controversial media reports that Sri Lanka president has accused Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination, a claim firmly rejected as “false” by Colombo. Wickremesinghe, who will arrive on Thursday evening on a scheduled visit, will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_2398688” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File Image of Sri Lanka prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. AFP[/caption] Sirisena also called up Modi on Wednesday and “categorically rejected” the media reports about him alluding to the involvement of RAW in an alleged plot to assassinate him and a former defence secretary, an Indian government statement said. “The President apprised the Prime Minister of the urgent steps taken by him personally and the government of Sri Lanka to publicly reject these reports. In this context, he also recalled his meeting with the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka today morning,” the statement said. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) appreciated the prompt steps taken by the Sri Lankan president and his government to firmly refute the malicious reports by publicly clarifying the matter, it said. Sri Lankan government also rejected the media reports as “baseless and false”. The two prime ministers are likely to review the status of the India-assisted housing projects in Jaffna during Wickremesinghe’s visit. They are also likely to deliberate on the Tamil issue - the reconciliation process and devolution of powers in Tamil-dominated areas. During the visit, Home minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on Wickremesinghe.