2 more ministers oppose PM's Sri Lanka visit for Commonwealth summit
Union ministers V Narayanasamy and Jayanthi Natarajan on Monday joined the chorus against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka for a Commonwealth summit in view of alleged atrocities against ethnic Tamils.
If the PM attends the November 15-17 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), he risks rubbing his ministers and leaders from Tamil Nadu the wrong way.
His visit may also alienate potential allies, which the Congress may need before or after the Lok Sabha polls due in 2014, from the state.
Alleged abuse suffered by ethnic Tamils in the island nation is a hugely emotive issue throughout Tamil Nadu. &n
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“I have conveyed my opinion to the Prime Minister that he should not visit Sri Lanka,” Narayanasamy, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, said.
Narayanasamy represents Puducherry, which has a substantial Tamil population, in the Lok Sabha.
Environment minister Natarajan said in Chennai she would write to the PM and urge him not to attend the summit.
“With the atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka and the sentiments of people in Tamil Nadu, I hope the Prime Minister will take a good decision.”
However, another Congress leader from Tamil Nadu, S Natchiappan, the minister of state for commerce, struck a different note.
“He (PM) should travel to Jaffna and other Tamil-dominated areas before reaching Colombo. Perhaps this is the demand of the elected government in the Northern region of the island nation,” said Natchiappan.
Defence minister AK Antony, finance minister P Chidambaram and shipping minister GK Vasan have opposed top foreign policy advisors who want the PM to attend the biennial meeting in Colombo.
They argue that the PM should respect the sentiments of many Indian Tamils who believe that Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government crushed the LTTE-led Tamil movement by large-scale human rights violation.
The Tamil Nadu assembly has already passed a unanimous resolution opposing the PM’s participation in the summit.
While Chidambaram and Vasan’s reservations are understandable, as both are MPs from Tamil Nadu, Antony’s opposition gives their view more weight.
The defence minister wants the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to consider the sentiments of 90 million Tamils worldwide.
The issue of human rights violations in Sri Lanka has seen Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycott the summit. Incidentally, for the first time in 40 years, Queen Elizabeth II too will not be present at the meet.
If the PM attends the November 15-17 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), he risks rubbing his ministers and leaders from Tamil Nadu the wrong way.
His visit may also alienate potential allies, which the Congress may need before or after the Lok Sabha polls due in 2014, from the state.
Alleged abuse suffered by ethnic Tamils in the island nation is a hugely emotive issue throughout Tamil Nadu. &n
“I have conveyed my opinion to the Prime Minister that he should not visit Sri Lanka,” Narayanasamy, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, said.
Narayanasamy represents Puducherry, which has a substantial Tamil population, in the Lok Sabha.
Environment minister Natarajan said in Chennai she would write to the PM and urge him not to attend the summit.
“With the atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka and the sentiments of people in Tamil Nadu, I hope the Prime Minister will take a good decision.”
However, another Congress leader from Tamil Nadu, S Natchiappan, the minister of state for commerce, struck a different note.
“He (PM) should travel to Jaffna and other Tamil-dominated areas before reaching Colombo. Perhaps this is the demand of the elected government in the Northern region of the island nation,” said Natchiappan.
Defence minister AK Antony, finance minister P Chidambaram and shipping minister GK Vasan have opposed top foreign policy advisors who want the PM to attend the biennial meeting in Colombo.
They argue that the PM should respect the sentiments of many Indian Tamils who believe that Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government crushed the LTTE-led Tamil movement by large-scale human rights violation.
The Tamil Nadu assembly has already passed a unanimous resolution opposing the PM’s participation in the summit.
While Chidambaram and Vasan’s reservations are understandable, as both are MPs from Tamil Nadu, Antony’s opposition gives their view more weight.
The defence minister wants the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to consider the sentiments of 90 million Tamils worldwide.
The issue of human rights violations in Sri Lanka has seen Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper boycott the summit. Incidentally, for the first time in 40 years, Queen Elizabeth II too will not be present at the meet.
