Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has accused India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination, The Hindu reported on Tuesday.

The development, that comes just days before Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s scheduled visit to New Delhi, is likely to strain relations between the two Southeast Asian countries.

Sirisena, who was speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, told ministers that the Indian intelligence agency was “trying to kill” him, but that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not be aware of the plan,” the newspaper reported citing unnamed sources.

This is not the first time that a Sri Lankan leader has accused the Indian intelligence unit of an interference. Following his poll defeat in 2015, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa held RAW responsible for the change in regime, the report added.

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First Published:Oct 17, 2018 12:16 PM IST