Government looks for 'stringent' words to please Tamils

The irony is not lost on the Centre. For over a month, Indian diplomats walked a tightrope while drafting amendments to the US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka to be voted on at the UN Human Rights Council to keep both Tamil parties and Colombo in good humour.

Over the past two days, though, compelled by domestic Tamil politics, Delhi has been pleading to incorporate some “stringent” words in the resolution so that Congress can gain lost space in Tamil Nadu. 

The Centre has announced that it will move amendments to the resolution, which will be voted upon in Geneva on Thursday.

An all-party meeting convened on Wednesday to draft a resolution in Parliament on the issue ended inconclusively. Sources say the BJP, the JD(U) and the SP opposed the move, saying it will be seen as interference in Lanka’s internal affairs. It was the maverick Trinamool Congress that took all by surprise by announcing its support to the Centre.

The DMK and the AIADMK are refusing to let up on the issue. They are planning to block voting on budget in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. They declared at the business advisory committee meeting of the Rajya Sabha, presided by chairman Hamid Ansari, that they will not allow finance minister P  Chidambaram to reply in the Rajya Sabha on the budget.

Tamil parties have taken a strong exception to the dilution of clause 2 of the draft resolution, which originally “urged the government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations” and also called for “an international investigation into alleged violation of human rights”.

The clause now at the UNHRC table has dropped both “international” and “urging”. Instead, it is now a resolution that will “encourage” Sri Lanka to implement recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and to conduct a credible investigation.

Highly placed sources told DNA that instead of an international probe into alleged war crimes in Lanka, which is the DMK’s demand, a less intrusive terminology of “an internationally-accepted investigation” is being touted as a proposed amendment by India.

The government has already thrown out a key demand of the Tamil parties — that the alleged war crimes in Lanka be declared a ‘genocide’ in the resolution, saying it will prejudge the outcome.

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid made it clear that the government wouldn’t succumb to DMK’s tantrums to isolate itself in the world.

Sources close to him said many countries, particularly Pakistan, wants India to fall into this trap. Both India and Pakistan are currently among the 47 members of the UNHRC.
They added that Islamabad has been closely watching Delhi’s movements to force the international community to seek an analogy with Kashmir.

Moreover, a top government source said the inimical Chinese forays into Sri Lanka continue to haunt the Indian strategic establishment. “We need to strengthen, stay calm and be cautious,” said the source,

referring to the complex situation in the neighbourhood, right from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal to Pakistan. “We will stay engaged across the board. Our big concern is Chinese forays into the southern neighbourhood,” said the source, appreciating that so far, Colombo has respected the red lines. 

Maintaining that Lankan president Mahindra Rajapaksa has shown willingness to improve the relief and rehabilitation of Tamils, the source said Delhi can take credit for persuading Colombo to announce provincial council elections scheduled for September.

Pointing out that over 40 years the Lankan airforce was being piloted by Pakistan, sources said India has a huge interest in the welfare of Tamils, but not at the cost of strategic interests.

@iftikhargilani