India trying to shield Colombo, says Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: Keeping up the pressure on the Centre to support the US resolution against Sri Lanka at UNHRC, UPA ally DMK today wondered why India was still treating Colombo as a friendly nation when it had dumped various treaties and 'insulted' leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi.

"It is not clear and has been an unending agony for us to see why India is trying to shield the Sinhala Government which had insulted Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi. However, we are still confident India will support at least the US resolution at the eleventh hour," DMK chief M Karunanidhi said.

Referring to Sri Lanka's reported rejection of India's advice that it negotiate with the US to arrive at an acceptable solution on the UNHRC resolution, he said "we fail to understand on what basis those at the Centre believed Sri Lanka will accept it. How did those at the Centre forget the lessons being taught by Sri Lanka over a long time."

The DMK chief, who has of late been focusing on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, said in a letter to partymen that Colombo 'ignored' various pacts including the Rajiv-Jayawardene accord and those agreed to by Sinhala and Tamil leaders earlier.

While his party backed TESO believed the US resolution was not final as regards the Tamils issue, it still supported it since a superpower like America had moved it at a forum of world countries where around 30 members have pledged their support to it.

"TESO (Tamil Eealam Supporters Organisation) has been pressing for India to support the US resolution with adequate amendments," he added.