India protests against Sri Lankan army chief's 'joker' comments
India has lodged protest with SL over derogatory remarks of its Army Chief.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: India said it has lodged a protest with Sri Lanka over certain "derogatory" remarks by its Army Chief Sarath Fonseka against some Tamil Nadu politicians and Colombo has expressed "regret".
India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad took up the matter "strongly" with Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters here while commenting on remarks by Fonseka in an interview where he referred to some politicians of Tamil Nadu as "political jokers".
"The Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka promised to look into the matter and conveyed regrets should any such comment have been made," Prakash said.
Fonseka had said that the Indian Government would never influence Sri Lanka to restore the ceasefire with the LTTE and it would not listen to the "political jokers" of Tamil Nadu whose "survival depends on the LTTE".
"It is an atrocious, abominable and unjustifiable outburst of a lunatic person who is simply to be kept in a mental asylum. The Indian Government should have taken immediate steps because the Sri Lankan Government has not made any denial of this," MDMK leader Vaiko told television channels.
The MDMK will also launch an agitation before the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission here from December 10, demanding an apology from Rajapaksa and Fonseka.
"If the LTTE is wiped out, those political jokers like (Tamil Nationalist Movement leader) P Nedumaran, Vaiko and whoever who is sympathising with the LTTE will most probably lose their income from the LTTE," Fonseka was quoted as saying.
India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad took up the matter "strongly" with Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters here while commenting on remarks by Fonseka in an interview where he referred to some politicians of Tamil Nadu as "political jokers".
"The Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka promised to look into the matter and conveyed regrets should any such comment have been made," Prakash said.
Fonseka had said that the Indian Government would never influence Sri Lanka to restore the ceasefire with the LTTE and it would not listen to the "political jokers" of Tamil Nadu whose "survival depends on the LTTE".
"It is an atrocious, abominable and unjustifiable outburst of a lunatic person who is simply to be kept in a mental asylum. The Indian Government should have taken immediate steps because the Sri Lankan Government has not made any denial of this," MDMK leader Vaiko told television channels.
The MDMK will also launch an agitation before the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission here from December 10, demanding an apology from Rajapaksa and Fonseka.
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"If the LTTE is wiped out, those political jokers like (Tamil Nationalist Movement leader) P Nedumaran, Vaiko and whoever who is sympathising with the LTTE will most probably lose their income from the LTTE," Fonseka was quoted as saying.
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