Manmohan Singh’s absence not a setback for CHOGM: Sri Lanka

“The Indian Prime Minister was invited. Sri Lankans would have been happier if he came,” said Peiris.

Peiris said Sri Lanka understands the domestic political compulsions which had forced the Indian PM to take such a decision.

Meanwhile,the Indian High Commission confirmed that Singh’s letter addressed to Rajapaksa has been delivered to the President’s office.

The Prime Minister has decided against undertaking the visit in view of the stiff opposition by parties in Tamil Nadu as well as a section in Congress.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will now head the Indian delegation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on November 15-16.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu and several other outfits have opposed India’s participation at any level in the CHOGM meet alleging that the Sri Lankan government had committed gross violation of human rights and had no plans to devolve powers to the ethnic Tamils.

Singh became the second head of state after the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to stay away from the meeting.

Harper said he was skipping the summit as Sri Lanka had failed to show progress in addressing alleged human rights violations in the country.