DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Friday urged India to declare its support for the US-backed resolution against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The DMK chief’s statement comes a day after external affairs minister S. M. Krishna said in Chennai that India’s stand would be taken based on the overall ties between the two neighbours and the sentiments in the state. Noting Mr Krishna’s remarks, Karunanidhi said that he was moved by certain visuals shot during the last part of the internal conflict involving the Sri Lankan Army and LTTE.
“The tears have not dried up. If those in the Central government watched those visuals just once they would realise the importance of the plea made on behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said, pointing out that DMK Parliamentary party leader T. R. Baalu had taken up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 2.
PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss, in a statement, demanded convening of a special session of the assembly to pass a resolution urging the Centre to vote against Sri Lanka in UNHRC meeting in Geneva.
“In order to demonstrate our unity to the Centre in demanding declaration of Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and all those who supported him in killing Tamils as war criminals, a statewide bandh should be organised on behalf of all the political parties,” he said appealing to chief minister Jayalalithaa to take steps.
VCK president and Chidambaram MP Thol. Thirumavalavan urged the ruling AIADMK and DMK to take a firm stand against the Centre if it supported Sri Lanka by voting against the US resolution in contrary to the pleas made by the political parties in the state.
He told reporters in Puducherry that the resolution against Sri Lanka was weak and did not contain any specific contents about the killing of innocent Tamils, war crimes, cultural degeneration and rehabilitation of Tamils after the war. But still the Indian Government should take a stand against Sri Lanka and support the resolution.