Sri Lankan MP backs India amid tariff row

New Delhi: Amid the India-US tariff standoff, a Sri Lankan parliamentarian has come out in support of New Delhi and drawn attention to how the Indian government came to Colombo's aid when the island nation was facing a crisis.

During a recent parliamentary debate on the growing India-US trade tension, Colombo district MP and former minister Harsha de Silva reminded critics of India's generosity during Sri Lanka's difficult days, according to people in the know.

"Don't laugh at India. Don't mock them when they are down, because when we were down, they were the only ones to lend us a hand," a source quoted de Silva as saying. "It ain't over until the fat lady sings. We witnessed you laughing. Don't laugh. India expected the tariffs to come down to 15%, and so did we."


India had provided close to $4 billion in assistance to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis in 2022.