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Karuna lashes out at PM over plans to meet Rajapaksa

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Press Trust of India Chennai
DMK today hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Centre's "indifferent" approach toward Sri Lankan Tamils issue and came down on his reported plans to meet the island nation's President Mahinda Rajapaksa for bilateral talks at the upcoming BIMSTEC summit.

"At a time when Tamils, Tamil outfits and even India are seeking a resolution for an independent probe into war crimes in Sri Lanka, Singh is holding talks with Rajapaksa ignoring the sentiments of Tamils and Tamil Nadu," DMK Chief M Karunanidhi said writing in the party organ "Murasoli".

The DMK patriarch's remarks assumed significance against the backdrop of continuing moves by Congress to revive the poll truck with his party for the Lok Sabha elections.
 

The DMK, which snapped its ties with Congress on Sri Lankan Tamils issue during March last year, has been expressing openly that it might not revive electoral ties with UPA.

"I, cannot understand why the Centre and the Congress Government are doing like this," Karunanidhi said, expressing his ire over the Singh-Rajapaksa meeting at Nay Pyi Taw.

Singh is leaving for the Myanmar capital Nay Pyi Taw tomorrow to participate in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit being held from March 4.

Reports suggest that Singh would hold bilateral talks with Rajapaksa.

Singh stayed away from the CHOGM meet hosted by Sri Lanka in October last year apparently bowing to pressure from Tamil Nadu and pro-Tamil outfits which have been demanding an independent international probe into alleged war crimes in the neighbouring country, which the island nation government has been opposing.

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First Published: Mar 02 2014 | 9:45 PM IST

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