Sri Lanka’s opposition United National Party (UNP) on Tuesday criticized President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for personally congratulating newly elected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, arguing that the move departed from established diplomatic convention and raised questions about political selectivity.
In a statement, the UNP said it was “surprising” that Sri Lanka’s Head of State had publicly extended congratulations to a foreign state-level leader, contending that such formal gestures are traditionally reserved for fellow heads of state or national governments rather than provincial or regional leaders.
“As a Head of State, protocol states that such congratulatory messages should be reserved for another Head of State and not for foreign Provincial/State leaders,” the party said.
The criticism came after President Dissanayake issued a message on X welcoming Vijay’s electoral victory in Tamil Nadu, emphasizing the “deep historical, cultural, enterprise and enduring people-to-people ties” between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu while expressing hope for closer economic and bilateral cooperation.
The UNP argued that the President’s expansive language and direct outreach risked blurring diplomatic lines by elevating engagement with a sub-national Indian leader in a manner not typically seen in Sri Lankan presidential communications.
The party also questioned what it described as inconsistent treatment, asking why similar public congratulations had not been extended to other recently elected Indian state leaders, including West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
