India's participation in CHOGM will attract investments: Union Minister

CHENNAI: Amid opposition by Tamil Nadu parties over India's participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka next month, a Union Minister today said the country's presence in the meet would bring in foreign investments.

"Even today, I am saying that with India's participation we can bring investments from other countries. Through CHOGM, we need to bring investments from other countries to India and also to the Northern province of Sri Lanka (where the Tamil National Alliance party recently won)," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Sudarshan Nachiappan told reporters.

He was replying to a query on India's participation in CHOGM on the sidelines of a seminar organised by CII.

Natchiappan's comments come just two days after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a unanimous resolution, demanding that India seek temporary suspension of Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth body and insisting on a "complete" boycott of CHOGM in Colombo by the Centre, respecting the "sentiments and opinion" of the state's people.

The resolution had also urged New Delhi to initiate steps to seek "temporary suspension" of Sri Lanka from the league of Commonwealth Nations till the Island Nation grants equal status to Tamils living there.

It had also demanded steps for UN-sponsored referendum on separate Tamil Eelam (homeland) besides asking India to stop treating the island Republic as a friendly nation.

Natchiappan said not many European nations had evinced interest so far in investing either in India or in the northern province and said it was the responsibility of Prime Minister ( Manmohan Singh) to bring in those investments to India.

Last month, the Tamil National Alliance had secured two third majority in polls to the Northern Province Council in Sri Lanka.