Sri Lankan PM Mahinda & President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wish PM Modi on his 70th birthday

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi turns 70, newly re-elected Sri Lankan Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday, took to Twitter to wish PM 'success and best of health'. Similarly, his bror - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa too wished PM Modi on occasion. Prime Minister was wished by most global leaders like - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nepal PM K P Oli, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, etc.

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BJP celebrates Narendra Modi's birthday

On occasion of PM Modi's Birthday, official Twitter account of BJP shared a small video of his entire life journey. y also anunced that a special virtual exhibition is being held on Narendra Modi's birthday which will allow people to greet ir 'favourite leader' from home. Moreover, BJP itself is celebrating PM Modi's birthday with its 'Seva Saptah' celebrations - organising  70 different programmes at various places and also cutting a '70 kg laddu cake' at Delhi's India Gate.

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Rajapaksas and PM Modi

India's relations with Sri Lanka became strained in 2014 when a Chinese submarine and warship were allowed to dock in Colombo and 99-year lease of Hambantota port in sourn Sri Lanka to China in 2015. But when Gotabaya was elected in vember 2019,  he pledged to work closely with India - even visiting India on vember 29. Moreover, Prime Minister Modi was among first to congratulate both Gotabaya and Mahinda on ir electoral victories. Incidentally, PM Modi was also first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka on June 9, 2019, after deadly Easter blasts.

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However, China too welcomed re-election of Rajapaksas. According to ecomists, Sri Lanka which is facing severe ecomic constraints has China as its biggest source of foreign direct investment, followed by India. Moreover, Rajapaksas were favoured by Chinese as experts point out Beijing's support to Sirisena's move to replace Ranil Wickremesinghe with Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime minister, which was later struck done by Supreme Court. With rise of yet ar 'strongman-style' government in Asia, experts feel Sri Lanka will play as a 'battleground for India and China'.