The big two in Tamil Nadu – chief minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi on Tuesday sought to put further pressure on Centre to boycott CHOGM meet completely.
If Jayalalithaa got the assembly to pass a unanimous resolution asking central government to boycott CHOGAM meet in Colombo, Karunanidhi said earlier in the afternoon that “I am of the firm view that nobody from India should attend the meeting”.
Moving a resolution in assembly, Jayalalithaa reiterated the demand for total boycott of the Commonwealth heads of government meet (CHOGM) in Colombo. It is really saddening that the centre is not respecting the Tamil sentiments on the issue, Jayalalithaa said condemning the government move to send a delegation to the meeting, headed by external affairs minister Salman Khurshid. “It is deeply saddening,” Jayalalithaa said.
“This august House had unanimously passed a Resolution urging the Government of India to ensure that India totally boycotts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka and further that there should be no representation, even nominal, on behalf of India at the said meeting and further that the decision of India in this regard should be immediately conveyed to Sri Lanka and that India should take necessary action to have Sri Lanka temporarily suspended from the membership of the Commonwealth until the Government of Sri Lanka takes steps to accord ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka liberties and equality of status with the Sinhalese,” the government said in a press statement issued on Tuesday night.
“In a manner totally contrary to this Resolution, the Government of India has announced that India would be represented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Sri Lanka by a delegation led by the Union minister of external affairs. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly expresses its deep anguish at this decision of the Government of India. This decision of the Government of India, which does not offer any solace to Tamils and does not respect the sentiments of the Tamils, is a deeply distressing act,” the resolution said.
{{/usCountry}}“In a manner totally contrary to this Resolution, the Government of India has announced that India would be represented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Sri Lanka by a delegation led by the Union minister of external affairs. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly expresses its deep anguish at this decision of the Government of India. This decision of the Government of India, which does not offer any solace to Tamils and does not respect the sentiments of the Tamils, is a deeply distressing act,” the resolution said.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister said participating in the CHOGM meet would create a situation that India approved Lanka’s inhuman act. Tamil groups and all political parties in Tamil Nadu hold the government of the Island nation guilty of genocide of thousands of innocent Tamils during the final push against LTTE in May 2009.
The TN assembly has earlier resolved in a unanimous resolution, also moved by Jayalalithaa, imposition of economic sanctions against Sri Lanka and bringing the guilty of war crimes to book. The political parties hold Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse guilty of war crimes.
In today’s resolution, the TN government said “blame would fall on India for supporting Sri Lankan president to become commonwealth head.”