PM Modi's 'historic' visit to Lanka will pave way for stronger ties: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Sri Lanka as 'historic' and said that it would pave the way for strong ties between both nations.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit after three decades has proved to be a historic visit. Prime Minister's visit to Jaffna has sent a very positive message to Tamils living in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. He also flagged of the fishermen issue and his address to the Sri Lankan Parliament was very grandly appreciated. This historic visit will pave the way for strong ties between India and Sri Lanka," said BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao.

"There are reports that five fishermen have been attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy, I think this a long time problem. This is a humanitarian issue. Sri Lanka responded favourably when the Prime Minister went to Sri Lanka, Indian fishermen were released," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home late last night after wrapping up his five-day three-nation tour to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.

During his Sri Lanka visit, Prime Minister Modi met with the Sri Lankan leadership, including President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and others.

He also visited the Maha Bodhi Temple to pray at the sacred Maha Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura, besides travelling to Jaffna to hand over 27,000 houses to Tamils. He also became the first Indian Prime Minister to pay tribute to martyred Indian Army soldiers at the IPKF Memorial in Colombo.

The houses in Jaffna were built with India's assistance for those who became homeless during the civil war in the island nation. Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Jaffna.

During his visit to Sri Lanka, Modi said the security of the two nations is indivisible and favoured a life of equality, justice and dignity for Tamils.

The Prime Minister also flagged off the first train from Talaimannar after the restoration of the North-South rail link that connects Jaffna with Colombo.

He also addressed the Sri Lankan Parliament.