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DMK withdraws from MPs delegation to Sri
Lanka
Sunday April 15, 2012 09:58:09 PM,
IANS
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Chennai: Tamil Nadu's major opposition party DMK
Sunday decided to pull out of the all-party delegation of Members
of Parliament to Sri Lanka, saying the visit will "serve no
purpose".
Speaking to reporters here, DMK president and former chief
minister M. Karunanidhi said: "There had been instances in the
past that such visits have not resulted in any useful purpose.
Hence nobody would represent DMK in the delegation."
The DMK's decision comes a day ahead of the all-party MP
delegation's visit to Sri Lanka April 16-21 under the leadership
of the BJP's Sushma Swaraj to inspect the rehabilitation of those
displaced during the war against the Tamil Tigers that ended in
May 2009.
On April 12, AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J.Jayalalithaa withdrew her MP A. Williams Rabi Bernard
from the team as the itinerary does not include a meeting with the
affected people and taking up their issue with Sri Lankan
President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
She said the itinerary "gives importance to meeting and dining"
with Sinhalese leaders and government officials and that the
programme seemed to have been designed by Sri Lankan officials to
create a positive image about them in India.
"Further the delegation does not comprise of journalists, human
rights activists and independent observers," she said.
Jayalalithaa also came down on the Indian government for not
acting on the Tamil Nadu assembly resolution to take steps to
impose economic sanctions against Sri Lanka and for diluting the
US resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.
She said Colombo was continuing with "its anti-Tamil activities by
attacking Indian fishermen" as well as over the rehabilitation of
Tamils in the island nation.
According to Jayalalithaa, the MPs' visit will turn out to be "an
eyewash" as it happened with an earlier team of parliamentary
members belonging to the Congress, DMK and VCK parties.
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