External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today rushed to Sri Lanka as the conflict between the country’s army and the LTTE reached endgame.
The visit comes exactly a week after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi asked the Centre why Mukherjee was not being sent to Colombo to broker a ceasefire. The Tamil Nadu Assembly had adopted a resolution making “a final appeal” to the Centre to intervene.
Before departing for Colombo, Mukherjee said India had no sympathy for the LTTE. The safety of Tamil civilians stuck in the conflict zone was paramount for India, he added. He also briefed Karunanidhi over phone about the visit. “We are for (a) fight against terrorists and all sorts of terrorism. Therefore, we have no sympathy for any terrorist activity indulged in by any organisation, particularly the LTTE, which is a banned organisation in India,” he said.
He discussed these issues with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He is expected to press for early implementation of the political devolution package for the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, state Finance Minister K Anbhazhagan said “Mukherjee was leaving for Sri Lanka after Karunanidhi made a request in this regard.”
While India is seeking a political resolution in the Sri Lanka’s Constitution and the 1987 accord between India and Sri Lanka, parties such as the DMK are averse to the accord. Commenting on the accord Karunanidhi had said last week: “We should not force our views on the accord on Sri Lankan Tamils.”
Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon was in Colombo to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka.
The Rajapaksa government has reiterated its commitment to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which will devolve powers to the provinces, including the conflict-torn northern regions.