India keeps mum on Rajapaksas but supports 'people of Lanka'

New Delhi: India on Tuesday distanced itself from commenting on the cornered Sri Lankan government and its ruling family Rajapaksas, but chose instead to pledge support to the people of the island nation.

India's response came a day after Mahidra Rajapaksa stepped down as Prime Minister after protesters surged through its streets, rounding up official residence of top leaders including the Prime Minister.

Treading carefully through the nuanced political situation in the island nation, India made a three-paragraph statement saying India would always be guided by the best interests of people of Sril Lanka expressed through democratic processes.

The statement conspicuously did not mention the government of Sri Lanka or Rajapaksas, according to The Indian Express.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo rejected rumours about Mahinda Rajapaksa family having been flown to India in a helicopter.

Visuals emerged last evening showed a helicopter waiting in a residential compound reportedly to take away the ruling family.

The Indian High Commission denied in its tweets the rumours about "certain political persons and their families" having flown to India.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said in Delhi India was fully supportive of Sri Lanka's democracy, stability and economic recovery.

Arindam Bagchi also said India as part of its Neighbourhood First policy offered this year alone over US$ 3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka.

Alongside, India provided food and medicine to mitigate the shortages of essentials, according to him.

India's May 3 statement on its help to Sri Lanka was addressed to both the government and its people, unlike what its latest on Tuesday did, which addressed only the "people of Lanka".