Sri Lanka's tryst with India and events that shaped strong ties

India-Sri Lanka relationship has been marked by several high-level exchanges in the last couple of months. 

Not to mention several pacts that the both countries have inked over the last two years despite New Delhi's concerns over China's acquisition of Hambantota port and its other projects in the island nation. 
 
All three key players of Sri Lanka -- Maithripala Sirisena, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe -- either paid visits to New Delhi or were in touch with the leadership in India on a regular basis. 
 
Mahinda Rajapaksa visited New Delhi accompanied by his son Namal Rajapaksa last month. During his visit, he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Opposition leader and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The island nation's former president also took to Twitter to wish Prime Minister Modi and BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy on their respective birthdays. 
 
Ranil Wickremesinghe has always favoured India over China. According to a media report, Wickremesinghe's strongly-worded statement from New Delhi soon after his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 20, precipitated the final crisis before the fall. The statement targeted the President Sirisena, almost holding him directly responsible for the delay in Indian projects in the island nation. 
 
Wickremesinghe was on an official visit to India from the 18th to the 20th of October, accompanied by his wife and a group of ministers. Besides Modi, Wickremesinghe met senior leaders Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj. 
 
Sirisena met Modi during the BIMSTEC summit in Nepal. The two leaders also discussed various development cooperation programmes on the occasion.