Sri Lankan Prez Rajapaksa may be R-Day chief guest

January 06, 2021 11:16

With UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson opting out at the last minute, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa may be drafted in as the chief guest for India's Republic Day.

This is one of the two quick options before the Modi government.

The other option is not to have any chief guest, with President Ram Nath Kovind as Supreme Commander in Chief of the armed forces taking the salute.

Interestingly, with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar currently in Colombo, there is intense speculation in South Block that the Prime Minister's Office may choose to go with the neighbourhood leader to be the chief guest.

The ministry of external affairs, however, neither confirmed nor denied the news.

R Rajagopalan in New Delhi

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