AIADMK, DMK say PM should not attend Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka

NEW DELHI: AIADMK and DMK on Monday joined hands in RajyaSabha to demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should not attend Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka in November.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, V Maitreyan (AIADMK) said his party chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha also wrote two letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard but no reply was given by the PMO.

Maintaining that any high level delegation from India attending the summit in Sri Lanka "which the AIADMK considers an enemy country", will be "endorsing" the acts of human rights violation by that country, Maitreyan said people of Tamil Nadu are waiting with eagerness to see how the Prime Minister is going to respond.

"Whether he is going to side with Sri Lankan government, which they consider as their enemy country," he asked.

The members raised the issue as Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Peiris is here to invite the Prime Minister for the Commonwealth meet.

Maitreyan said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has in the letters "conveyed outrage" over the "continuing human rights violation" of Tamilians in Sri Lanka.

Quoting from the letter, Maitreyan said holding an important summit like CHOGM is equal to endorsing human rights violation by Sri Lanka against the Tamilians, he said, "any high-level participation from Indian side will not only embolden Sri Lanka but also incense public sentiments in Tamil Nadu.

"I urge the Prime Minister not to attend at very least. India should stay away from CHOGM."

Associating with the issue, Kanimozhi (DMK) said her party has time and again insisted that the Prime Minister should not attend the meeting in Sri Lanka.

She said DMK chief Karunanidhi has also asked leaders from other countries not to attend the summit or least change the venue of the CHOGM meet.

"At least India should not attend the meeting," she said. Kanimozhi also raised the issue of Tamilian fishermen and human rights violation.