By M Rama Rao, India Editor, Asian Tribune
New Delhi, 26 October, (Asiantribune.com): Basil Rajapaksa, who flew in here as the special emissary of his brother and Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa will meet India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today (Sunday) on the situation in the island nation.
The meeting takes place amidst reports that LTTE is not faring as badly as expected on the war front, and that the Tigers are in fact holding on to their turf rather tenaciously. Prolonged war is not what Colombo would like to be engaged in these days of global meltdown and consequent fears of recession.
Basil visit coincides with some mellowing of Muthavel Karunanidhi, the DMK patriarch, the arrest of the unabashedly pro-LTTE, V Gopalaswamy on the charges of sedition for speaking in support of the Tigers, near polarization of Tamil politics into pro and anti- LTTE and calls in Chennai to observe Diwali without crackers in view of the suffering of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka.
The visiting special emissary will apprise the Indian leadership of how the Mahinda Rajapaksa government is grappling with the fall-out of the war against Tigers on the civilians in the north of the country.
His effort will be to convince Delhi that Colombo is doing its best to safeguard ethnic Tamilians caught in the conflict.
Pranab Mukherjee told Indian Parliament on Friday that the humanitarian plight of Tamils in the war zone remained a matter of concern to Delhi "We don't want influx of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka into our territory; it is the responsibility of Sri Lanka to provide food and shelter to civilians displaced because of the hostilities", he had stated in what was a reiteration of India's position on the situation in the island nation.
Basil Rajapakse will also meet National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon. His meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is on the cards though not yet scheduled as Singh was returning home from Beijing around Saturday midnight after attending the Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) in Beijing.
EARFUL TO BASIL
Given the mood in Chennai, Basil will get an earful from his interlocutors here and the message will be that Sri Lanka should toss up political option rather than the militarist solution to the core problem of the island. Concerns of the minority Tamils, which is the core of the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka and the problems faced by Indian fishermen in and around Katchativu which as the Indian Home Minister told the Rajya Sabha is on the SL side will also figure prominently in the Basil interaction with the Indian leadership.
DELHI-CHENNAI SYNERGY
There appears to be some synergy between Delhi and Chennai on the SL issue. This is clear from Karunanidhi's praise of the steps Delhi has taken. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said the confidence 'reposed' in the Manmohan Singh government has 'not gone in vain'.
He referred to the unanimous resolution adopted at the DMK sponsored all party meeting (boycotted by AIADMK and its allies) on Oct 14. The resolution is generally taken as an ultimatum to Singh to do something on SL issue by Oct 28 lest TN lawmakers would resign. Without getting into the details, Karunanidhi said that the resolution had been sent to those concerned. And he had impressed upon Dr. Singh as early as Oct 6 the need to express the India's condemnation of the attacks on innocent Tamils, bring to an end the Sri Lankan government's military offensive, resume peace talks and ensure that no hardship was caused to the fishermen of Tamil Nadu.
Karunanidhi stated that the Prime Minister had assured him of prompt action. The same day, the National Security Adviser had conveyed to Sri Lanka's Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi, India's concern and unhappiness at the growing casualties of unarmed Tamil civilians as a result of military action.
The chief minister added the statements by the Prime Minister' and the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the past couple of days had shown 'how supportive and dedicated is Delhi is to the Tamil cause'. This has increased the level of confidence in the Central government, he said as his party workers held a massive human chain in pouring rain in Chennai to express solidarity with SL Tamils. Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan, Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswami, CPI state secretary D. Pandian, MDMK MP Gingee Ramachandran, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam leader Hyder Ali and others joined the 2-hour long show in knee-deep rain water.
In the same breath, like a true politician, Karunanidhi added: "One could not conclude that these measures alone would produce a satisfactory outcome. People should feel confident that there would be equality among the Sri Lankan people including Tamils and prevalence of humanism".
Spat With Jaya
Karunanidhi remains locked in a spat with his betenoire Jayalalithaa Jayaram of AIADMK on SL issue. In a fresh attack, she has called for his arrest and dissolution of TN assembly for allegedly eulogising late LTTE leaders S Tamilselvan and Anton Balasingam.
"I have made this demand long back. Whether the UPA Government, of which the DMK is a constituent, has the guts to do this', she asked rather rhetorically.
In a statement from her Poes Garden residence, the 'Amma' termed as farce the arrest of Tamil film directors Seeman and Amir, for their pro-LTTE remarks at a rally by film industry in Rameswaram. "They were in full public view in the human chain and Karunanidhi had also seen them in the demonstration. Why police did not arrest them initially? They were arrested only after completion of the human chain and after giving interviews to media", she remarked and demanded the arrest of DPI leader Thol Thirumavalavan as well.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Some relief to Singh by Baalu; Karunanidhi – Jayalalithaa locked in word war over SL Tamils
By M Rama Rao, India Editor, Asian Tribune
New Delhi, 19 October 2008 (asiantribune.com): Twists and turns continue to mark the Tamilnadu political scene. To the relief of Congress leadership, a DMK senior has clarified that the 14-day period set at the all-party meeting in Chennai on Oct 14 for action by Delhi vis-à-vis war zone of Sri Lanka is not a deadline even as AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa has dared DMK patriarch Muthavel Karunanidhi to 'quit' over SL-Tamil row.
In the first clarification from the DMK camp since the 'all-party conclave' delivered what is construed as the ultimatum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, DMK senior and Union Minister for shipping and transport, T R Baalu said the Oct 14 outcome was not a 'deadline'.
It (the deadline/ultimatum) is also not aimed at giving trouble to the Manmohan Singh Ministry, he said for added emphasis in Chennai on Saturday amidst reports that Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided to be in contact and that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had been invited to visit Colombo.
Mukherjee has accepted the invitation but indications are that his visit to SL may not materialise immediately.
Baalu, a confidant of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK's senior most Minister in Delhi, made it clear: 'We are not pressurising the Centre'.
He added: 'We are conveying our problem, our mental agony. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is expecting some results within that time (14-day deadline)'.
Answering a question on the directive to MPs from TN to quit Parliament, Baalu replied: 'The decision to ask the MPs was not DMK's alone but the decision of parties which had attended the meeting'.
Replying to another question on resignations by DMK MPs and MPs, he was quoted as saying: 'We (DMK lawmakers and workers) are disciplined soldiers of Karunanidhi. His words are like mantras to us. We have only carried out his instructions'.
The 'resignation' letters were handed over to DMK chief M Karunanidhi. And are post-dated to October 29 when the fortnight's deadline to the Centre to halt Sri Lankan troops' offensive against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) expires.
Another DMK senior was quoted in the local media as saying that the party has no intention to bring down the Manmohan Singh government. 'It's not our intention to pull out of the UPA. We did not pass the resolution (at the all - party meet) with that intention. We are not doing anything to help or save the LTTE. We only want to help the orphaned Tamils', the functionary said.
This soft pedalling in a manner of speaking, or U-turn as the DMK critics like to describe, has given ammunition to the AIADMK supremo to target her betenoire.
J Jayalalithaa has dared Karunanidhi to resign as TN Chief Minister if he really cares about the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
'If Karunanidhi really cares about the Tamils he should ask his MLAs to resign. Will he resign as chief minister? Will he have the guts to dissolve the state government', she said, according to TN media reports.
-Asian Tribune-
New Delhi, 19 October 2008 (asiantribune.com): Twists and turns continue to mark the Tamilnadu political scene. To the relief of Congress leadership, a DMK senior has clarified that the 14-day period set at the all-party meeting in Chennai on Oct 14 for action by Delhi vis-à-vis war zone of Sri Lanka is not a deadline even as AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa has dared DMK patriarch Muthavel Karunanidhi to 'quit' over SL-Tamil row.
In the first clarification from the DMK camp since the 'all-party conclave' delivered what is construed as the ultimatum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, DMK senior and Union Minister for shipping and transport, T R Baalu said the Oct 14 outcome was not a 'deadline'.
It (the deadline/ultimatum) is also not aimed at giving trouble to the Manmohan Singh Ministry, he said for added emphasis in Chennai on Saturday amidst reports that Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided to be in contact and that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had been invited to visit Colombo.
Mukherjee has accepted the invitation but indications are that his visit to SL may not materialise immediately.
Baalu, a confidant of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK's senior most Minister in Delhi, made it clear: 'We are not pressurising the Centre'.
He added: 'We are conveying our problem, our mental agony. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is expecting some results within that time (14-day deadline)'.
Answering a question on the directive to MPs from TN to quit Parliament, Baalu replied: 'The decision to ask the MPs was not DMK's alone but the decision of parties which had attended the meeting'.
Replying to another question on resignations by DMK MPs and MPs, he was quoted as saying: 'We (DMK lawmakers and workers) are disciplined soldiers of Karunanidhi. His words are like mantras to us. We have only carried out his instructions'.
The 'resignation' letters were handed over to DMK chief M Karunanidhi. And are post-dated to October 29 when the fortnight's deadline to the Centre to halt Sri Lankan troops' offensive against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) expires.
Another DMK senior was quoted in the local media as saying that the party has no intention to bring down the Manmohan Singh government. 'It's not our intention to pull out of the UPA. We did not pass the resolution (at the all - party meet) with that intention. We are not doing anything to help or save the LTTE. We only want to help the orphaned Tamils', the functionary said.
This soft pedalling in a manner of speaking, or U-turn as the DMK critics like to describe, has given ammunition to the AIADMK supremo to target her betenoire.
J Jayalalithaa has dared Karunanidhi to resign as TN Chief Minister if he really cares about the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
'If Karunanidhi really cares about the Tamils he should ask his MLAs to resign. Will he resign as chief minister? Will he have the guts to dissolve the state government', she said, according to TN media reports.
-Asian Tribune-
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Rajapakse telephones Manmohan Singh, assures safety of Tamils, Singh harps on humanitarianism
By M Rama Rao India Editor, Asian Tribune
New Delhi, 18 October 2008 (asiantribune.com): As the shadow of Tamilnadu continues to loom large over Delhi, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday and assured him that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure the safety and well being of the Tamil community in the battle zone.
These remarks have brought smile to Karunanidhi, the DMK chief Minister of Tamilnadu, who is piling up pressure on Singh for ‘some action’ to protest against the military offensive in LTTE-held areas. At his behest, DMK Ministers in the Singh Cabinet and MPs have sent to him their ‘resignations’. Karunanidhi, who is locked in a game of one-upmanship with his bitter local rival Jayalalithaa Jayaram of AIADMK, has publicly asserted that India could intervene in the island just as it did in the erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971. Significantly, Delhi has not reacted to the demand.
The telephone call from Colombo came a day after the Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon publicly express concern over the ‘humanitarian situation’ in Lanka and said India will do all ‘in its power’ to ensure a political settlement to the ethnic problem in the island nation.
A statement put out by the PMO said, Singh had conveyed to the President his deep concern’ on the ‘deteriorating’ humanitarian situation in the North of Sri Lanka, especially on the plight of the civilians caught in the hostilities. He emphasised that the safety and the security of these civilians must be ‘safeguarded at all costs’. The Indian leader told Rajapaksa to ensure ‘continued and uninterrupted’ relief supplies for the Internally Displaced Persons.
“President Rajapaksa assured the Prime Minister that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety and well being of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka”, the statement added..
Sticking to the usual Indian refrain that there is no military solution to the ethnic conflict, Prime Minister Singh made it clear that the ‘rights and the welfare’ of the Lanka Tamil community should not get ‘enmeshed’ in the on-going hostilities against the LTTE. He also urged President Rajapaksa to start a political process for a peacefully negotiated political settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka. He emphasised the need to nurture the democratic process in the Eastern Province.
Though it is not immediately clear how long the conversation lasted, the Indian leader utilised the opportunity to touch upon the fishermen issue. The Tamil film fraternity is holding a rally in Rameswaram to express solidarity with the fishermen of the area who are at the receiving end of the SL Navy’s ire most of the time.
Prime Minister Singh asked the Sri Lankan leader to direct his Navy to ‘desist’ from firing on Indian fishermen. And reiterated that killing of fishermen is ‘unacceptable’. Both the Leaders agreed to work on ‘practical’ arrangements to prevent such incidents, the PMO statement said.
Only three days back, Wednesday, Manmohan Singh had said the situation in the island nation is a cause for ‘serious concern’ and advised asked Rajapaksa regime to find a negotiated settlement rather than looking for a ‘military victory’. He said India was concerned over escalating hostilities, losses suffered by civilians and increasing number of displaced persons in Sri Lanka.
Lankan High Commissioner C R Jayasinghe here was on Friday summoned to the Foreign office and told that Colombo should address New Delhi's concerns over the humanitarian situation and stop harassing and killing Indian fishermen. ‘Sri Lankan government should ensure that the rights of its civilians are respected and they are protected from attacks’, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told the envoy.
Chipping in, Minister of State for Defence M. M. Pallam Raju told reporters here Saturday: ‘We are conscious that we as a nation have to try and reduce the conflict and negotiate a proper settlement for Tamils living in Sri Lanka. Towards this end, the government and the Prime Minister are making their best efforts’.
Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers, Raju said: ‘The government and the country are very clear about the manner in which we should be involved in Sri Lanka’.
Asked about India's supply of defence equipment to Sri Lanka, the junior to the defence minister AK Antony replied: whatever is provided was purely for "self defence" of that country.
Raju said the government was concentrating its efforts on safeguarding human rights of Tamils in that country.
In an oblique reference to Pakistan and China factors on the Lanka scene, Pallam Raju said India is every step to guard its interests in the Indian Ocean Region. ‘We are clear that we should be the only nation who should be present in this region and we are guarding our interests in the Indian Ocean Region’, he was quoted as saying.
KARUNANIDHI HAPPY
The repeated assertions from Delhi in favour of negotiated settlement in Sri Lanka have brought cheer to Tamil Nadu chief minister. Writing in his DMK party organ "Murasoli", Karunanidhi said he found solace in the remarks of the Prime Minister; he hoped that the Centre would consider the ‘ultimatum’ given by DMK sponsored ‘all-party’ meeting in Chennai on Oct 14 that all MPs from the state would resign if the Centre did not take action within a fortnight.. Already 14 Lok Sabha members of the DMK and four Rajya Sabha members have submitted their post-dated resignation letters to him.
Karunanidhi voiced his anguish over the ‘plight’ of Sri Lankan Tamils, saying that the future of Tamil race has become a ‘question mark’. “I am unable to sleep, whenever I think of it. Let us save the Tamil race and its honour. Let us avoid the racial genocide in Sri Lanka at whatever price”, he wrote in Murasoli.
Congress party, which is an ally of the DMK, finds itself in a difficult situation over the DMK demand. Its local leaders attended the Oct 14 conclave and had publicly endorsed the Karunanidhi stand that all MPs and Ministers from the state should resign in two weeks.
The Congress has 10 MPs from Tamilnadu- one of them is the high profile Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
THANGKABALU SNUBBED
The state Congress President, K V Thangkabalu, who is also an MP, flew into Delhi on Saturday and held closed door discussions with the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. He is understood to have a received a dressing down for openly siding with the DMK ultimatum. On the day DMK led conclave passed its ‘ultimatum’ itself, the Congress party here distanced itself from TN stand saying that India’s sovereignty doesn’t extend beyond its borders.
Now after meeting Pranab Mukherjee, Thangkabalu, also changed his tune. He said a decision on whether Congress MPs of Tamilnadu would resign over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue would be taken by the party High Command.
’A decision on whether the 10 Lok Sabha members belonging to the Congress party from Tamil Nadu will resign on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue will be taken by the High Command at an appropriate time’, he said.
He added that he had conveyed this line to the ‘all-party meeting’ also.
‘I conveyed the decision that day itself to the All-party meeting that as a national party, we cannot decide without asking the party High Command. But the Congress is committed to the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils’, said Thangkabalu, adding in the same breath, ‘as an individual he is ready to sacrifice his post anytime for the Sri Lankan Tamils cause.
The TN Congress chief described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's telephonic conversation with President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a ’ positive step’ towards resolving the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka.
Thangkabalu also accused certain political outfits in Tamil Nadu of indulging in ‘false propaganda’ that India is supplying arms to the Sri Lankan Government to kill Tamils.
’The External Affairs Minister told me that India is not arming the Sri Lankan Government to kill Tamils. He also assured me that India is taking all possible steps to address the humanitarian problem of the conflict in Sri Lanka, particularly that concerning civilian Tamils,’ Thangkabalu said when asked about his meeting with Pranab Mukherjee.
He added the Congress is hopeful that the decisions taken at the highest level of the government will certainly bring tangible results in safeguarding the interests of the civilians in the island nation.
Answering a question, the Congress leader said, his party wants the Rajiv Gandhi-Jayewardene accord be implemented immediately. “It (the accord) will provide a lasting solution to the ethnic issue. We have been insisting the Sri Lankan government to implement the accord. But, unfortunately it is not being done”.
Observing that the Congress has all along supported the Sri Lankan Tamils cause and for their protection, livelihood and honourable settlement, he said, Congress Governments from Jawaharlal Nehru times to the present Manmohan Singh-led government have been taking number of initiatives to safeguard the interests of the civilian Tamils in the island nation.
-ASIAN TRIBUNE-
New Delhi, 18 October 2008 (asiantribune.com): As the shadow of Tamilnadu continues to loom large over Delhi, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday and assured him that all necessary measures were being taken to ensure the safety and well being of the Tamil community in the battle zone.
These remarks have brought smile to Karunanidhi, the DMK chief Minister of Tamilnadu, who is piling up pressure on Singh for ‘some action’ to protest against the military offensive in LTTE-held areas. At his behest, DMK Ministers in the Singh Cabinet and MPs have sent to him their ‘resignations’. Karunanidhi, who is locked in a game of one-upmanship with his bitter local rival Jayalalithaa Jayaram of AIADMK, has publicly asserted that India could intervene in the island just as it did in the erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971. Significantly, Delhi has not reacted to the demand.
The telephone call from Colombo came a day after the Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon publicly express concern over the ‘humanitarian situation’ in Lanka and said India will do all ‘in its power’ to ensure a political settlement to the ethnic problem in the island nation.
A statement put out by the PMO said, Singh had conveyed to the President his deep concern’ on the ‘deteriorating’ humanitarian situation in the North of Sri Lanka, especially on the plight of the civilians caught in the hostilities. He emphasised that the safety and the security of these civilians must be ‘safeguarded at all costs’. The Indian leader told Rajapaksa to ensure ‘continued and uninterrupted’ relief supplies for the Internally Displaced Persons.
“President Rajapaksa assured the Prime Minister that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety and well being of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka”, the statement added..
Sticking to the usual Indian refrain that there is no military solution to the ethnic conflict, Prime Minister Singh made it clear that the ‘rights and the welfare’ of the Lanka Tamil community should not get ‘enmeshed’ in the on-going hostilities against the LTTE. He also urged President Rajapaksa to start a political process for a peacefully negotiated political settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka. He emphasised the need to nurture the democratic process in the Eastern Province.
Though it is not immediately clear how long the conversation lasted, the Indian leader utilised the opportunity to touch upon the fishermen issue. The Tamil film fraternity is holding a rally in Rameswaram to express solidarity with the fishermen of the area who are at the receiving end of the SL Navy’s ire most of the time.
Prime Minister Singh asked the Sri Lankan leader to direct his Navy to ‘desist’ from firing on Indian fishermen. And reiterated that killing of fishermen is ‘unacceptable’. Both the Leaders agreed to work on ‘practical’ arrangements to prevent such incidents, the PMO statement said.
Only three days back, Wednesday, Manmohan Singh had said the situation in the island nation is a cause for ‘serious concern’ and advised asked Rajapaksa regime to find a negotiated settlement rather than looking for a ‘military victory’. He said India was concerned over escalating hostilities, losses suffered by civilians and increasing number of displaced persons in Sri Lanka.
Lankan High Commissioner C R Jayasinghe here was on Friday summoned to the Foreign office and told that Colombo should address New Delhi's concerns over the humanitarian situation and stop harassing and killing Indian fishermen. ‘Sri Lankan government should ensure that the rights of its civilians are respected and they are protected from attacks’, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told the envoy.
Chipping in, Minister of State for Defence M. M. Pallam Raju told reporters here Saturday: ‘We are conscious that we as a nation have to try and reduce the conflict and negotiate a proper settlement for Tamils living in Sri Lanka. Towards this end, the government and the Prime Minister are making their best efforts’.
Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar organised by Indian Institution of Bridge Engineers, Raju said: ‘The government and the country are very clear about the manner in which we should be involved in Sri Lanka’.
Asked about India's supply of defence equipment to Sri Lanka, the junior to the defence minister AK Antony replied: whatever is provided was purely for "self defence" of that country.
Raju said the government was concentrating its efforts on safeguarding human rights of Tamils in that country.
In an oblique reference to Pakistan and China factors on the Lanka scene, Pallam Raju said India is every step to guard its interests in the Indian Ocean Region. ‘We are clear that we should be the only nation who should be present in this region and we are guarding our interests in the Indian Ocean Region’, he was quoted as saying.
KARUNANIDHI HAPPY
The repeated assertions from Delhi in favour of negotiated settlement in Sri Lanka have brought cheer to Tamil Nadu chief minister. Writing in his DMK party organ "Murasoli", Karunanidhi said he found solace in the remarks of the Prime Minister; he hoped that the Centre would consider the ‘ultimatum’ given by DMK sponsored ‘all-party’ meeting in Chennai on Oct 14 that all MPs from the state would resign if the Centre did not take action within a fortnight.. Already 14 Lok Sabha members of the DMK and four Rajya Sabha members have submitted their post-dated resignation letters to him.
Karunanidhi voiced his anguish over the ‘plight’ of Sri Lankan Tamils, saying that the future of Tamil race has become a ‘question mark’. “I am unable to sleep, whenever I think of it. Let us save the Tamil race and its honour. Let us avoid the racial genocide in Sri Lanka at whatever price”, he wrote in Murasoli.
Congress party, which is an ally of the DMK, finds itself in a difficult situation over the DMK demand. Its local leaders attended the Oct 14 conclave and had publicly endorsed the Karunanidhi stand that all MPs and Ministers from the state should resign in two weeks.
The Congress has 10 MPs from Tamilnadu- one of them is the high profile Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
THANGKABALU SNUBBED
The state Congress President, K V Thangkabalu, who is also an MP, flew into Delhi on Saturday and held closed door discussions with the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. He is understood to have a received a dressing down for openly siding with the DMK ultimatum. On the day DMK led conclave passed its ‘ultimatum’ itself, the Congress party here distanced itself from TN stand saying that India’s sovereignty doesn’t extend beyond its borders.
Now after meeting Pranab Mukherjee, Thangkabalu, also changed his tune. He said a decision on whether Congress MPs of Tamilnadu would resign over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue would be taken by the party High Command.
’A decision on whether the 10 Lok Sabha members belonging to the Congress party from Tamil Nadu will resign on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue will be taken by the High Command at an appropriate time’, he said.
He added that he had conveyed this line to the ‘all-party meeting’ also.
‘I conveyed the decision that day itself to the All-party meeting that as a national party, we cannot decide without asking the party High Command. But the Congress is committed to the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils’, said Thangkabalu, adding in the same breath, ‘as an individual he is ready to sacrifice his post anytime for the Sri Lankan Tamils cause.
The TN Congress chief described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's telephonic conversation with President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a ’ positive step’ towards resolving the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka.
Thangkabalu also accused certain political outfits in Tamil Nadu of indulging in ‘false propaganda’ that India is supplying arms to the Sri Lankan Government to kill Tamils.
’The External Affairs Minister told me that India is not arming the Sri Lankan Government to kill Tamils. He also assured me that India is taking all possible steps to address the humanitarian problem of the conflict in Sri Lanka, particularly that concerning civilian Tamils,’ Thangkabalu said when asked about his meeting with Pranab Mukherjee.
He added the Congress is hopeful that the decisions taken at the highest level of the government will certainly bring tangible results in safeguarding the interests of the civilians in the island nation.
Answering a question, the Congress leader said, his party wants the Rajiv Gandhi-Jayewardene accord be implemented immediately. “It (the accord) will provide a lasting solution to the ethnic issue. We have been insisting the Sri Lankan government to implement the accord. But, unfortunately it is not being done”.
Observing that the Congress has all along supported the Sri Lankan Tamils cause and for their protection, livelihood and honourable settlement, he said, Congress Governments from Jawaharlal Nehru times to the present Manmohan Singh-led government have been taking number of initiatives to safeguard the interests of the civilian Tamils in the island nation.
-ASIAN TRIBUNE-
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