All DMK ministers resign over Sri Lanka Tamil row

All DMK ministers in the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre have submitted their resignation letters to party supremo and chief minister M Karunanidhi for the sake of Sri Lankan Tamils. They would, however attend Parliament till October 28.

RESENTMENT PREVAILS in Tamil Nadu’s political circles over the Sri Lanka issue and all Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ministers in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre have submitted their resignation letters to party supremo and chief minister M Karunanidhi for the sake of Sri Lankan Tamils. They are threatening to resign en masse if the violence against innocent Tamils is not stopped in Sri Lanka,

The Union minister TR Baalu and A Raja, who came from Delhi after attending the opening day of Parliament, reportedly met Karunanidhi at party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, and put in their papers.

Lok Sabha members of DMK also submitted their resignations, post-dated October 28, to Karunanidhi, following the resolution adopted at the all-party meeting. As per the decision, ministers and members of Parliament (MPs) of the party would, however, attend Parliament till October 28, the deadline served by the DMK and other parties to the Centre to ensure that the Sri Lanka government declare ceasefire and stop genocide against Tamils.

Meanwhile, Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon summoned Sri Lankan high commissioner CR Jayasinghe to register India’s unhappiness with the situation in Sri Lanka and asked Colombo to ’take steps’ to stop the violence that has severely affected Tamil civilians in the island nation.

According to the official sources, India expressed grave concern over the ongoing violence in Sri Lanka.

He asked Colombo to take concrete steps to stop the military offensive in Sri Lanka

This is the 3rd message from New Delhi to Colombo in the last three days. Menon again impressed upon Colombo to pursue a negotiated political solution, rather than continue with military means to settle the decades-old ethnic feud.

He also asked Colombo to ensure that the harassment and killing of Indian fishermen in neighbouring areas is stopped forthwith. Menon’s decision to summon the Sri Lankan envoy comes a day after president Mahinda Rajapaksa told a newspaper that his government was committed to finding “a just and enduring political solution” and there were “no military solutions to political questions”.

This shows New Delhi’s growing impatience with Colombo over the way the Sri Lankan government has launched its biggest ever offensive against the Tamil Tigers, leading to much hardship and suffering for civilians caught in the crossfire.

Source: merinews