Jaya pulls out party MP from team visiting Lanka

Apr 12, 2012 |

chennai

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AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa has pulled out her nominee A. William Rabi Bernard from a parliamentary team going to Sri Lanka on April 16, saying the exercise seemed cosmetic to create a positive image of the island government in India.

Slamming Colombo for delaying rehabilitation of internally displaced Tamils, Lankan Navy attacks on TN fishermen and objecting to Kudankulam nuclear power plant, CM said she had decided to send Mr Bernard (a Rajya Sabha member) hoping the team would meet war-displaced Tamils and comfort them, but the itinerary sent by the external affairs ministry was hugely disappointing.

“There are no opportunities to interact with the war-displaced Tamils to know their agonising problems, while priority is placed on meetings and feasting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other Lankan authorities.

The absence of journalists, rights activists and independent monitors in the team strengthened my apprehensions,” she said, clearly indicating there would be no compromise in her stout campaign for justice to Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Ms Jayalalithaa said she did not wish this visit to be a “mere eyewash like the previous one” during which MPs, including DMK’s Kanimozhi, feasted with Rajapaksa and returned with his gifts.

CM also pointed out that the Centre did not properly respond to a TN Assembly resolution seeking economic embargo on Lanka until Tamils in that country got their rights. In fact, New Delhi helped dilute the US resolution against Lanka at the UNHRC, she said.

* Walk the extra mile: Chandrika to Rajapaksa, P11

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