Sonia lashes out at Italy

In a strong message to Italy on the marines row, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said no country “can, should or will” be allowed to take India for granted.

In a strong message to Italy on the marines row, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said no country “can, should or will” be allowed to take India for granted.

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Breaking her silence on the issue at a meeting of the Congress parliamentary party, she hit out at the Italian government for its refusal to send back two marines charged in the fishermen killing case.

“The defiance of the Italian government on the question of the two marines and its betrayal of a commitment to our Supreme Court is outright unacceptable,” Gandhi said.

The Congress chief’s tough talk follows PM Manmohan Singh’s stern message to Italy to send back the marines.

”All means must be pursued to ensure that the commitment made by the Italian government to our Supreme Court is honoured,” Gandhi said.

The marines — Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone — were permitted by the Supreme Court on February 22 to go to Italy for four weeks to cast their votes in the election there.

Gandhi also backed the DMK’s demand for an independent and credible probe into “unspeakable atrocities” on ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

She said the Lankan Tamils continue to be denied legitimate political rights and expressed pain and anguish over this state of affairs.

“The plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka is close to our hearts. Our support for equal rights and equal protection of the laws to them has been unwavering since the days of Indiraji and Rajivji,” Gandhi said.