The meeting, requested on behalf of Mr. Modi by Indian officials, comes just days after Mr. Rajapaksa, in an interview to The Hindu, accused RAW of conspiring to organise the opposition against him.

The one-on-one meeting at India House in Colombo lasted about 15 minutes. Officials told The Hindu that Mr. Modi wanted to meet Mr. Rajapaksa “as a matter of courtesy”, given that “they had a personal equation after three meetings last year.” Officials declined to comment on the meeting, None of the Prime Minister’s aides were present during the meeting.