Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, in a letter to External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, said he was not in a position to accept the invitation extended by President Rajapaksa to be part of the delegation to visit Indian Prime Minister's swearing in ceremony as it would paint a wrong picture about the relationship between the government and the Northern Provincial Council. 

"I regret to inform you that I’m unable to accept your kind invitation. Primarily, because acceptance would indicate that exists a strong co-operative spirit prevailing between the Centre and the Province, when in fact, the People of North are engulfed in a climate of fear on account of the continued presence of the Military while the activities of the Northern Provincial Council have been stultified. I would be guilty of facilitating token were I to accept such invitation. Nevertheless I have already sent my best wishes to the Prime Minister Elect of India through the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka," Northern Province Chief minister said. 

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"I earnestly hope that the spirit of partnership and goodwill expressed by your kind invitation would nevertheless continue to ensure that the electoral mandate of the Northern Province would be fulfilled and the fundamental rights of its People are preserved'" he also added. 

However, the Northern Province Chief Minister says that it is an auspicious sign that the "historic election of Shri Narendra Modi has revived in the Government of Sri Lanka a sense of co-operation and partnership towards the Northern Province."

"Given the untold hardships of the Peoples of Northern Province and the strictures on the functioning of the Northern Provincial Council, this is indeed welcome," Wigneswaran said.