Pranab’s peace talk to LTTE irks Tamil MPs

The Sri Lankan Tamil issue was raised in New Delhi and in Colombo. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee made a statement in the Lok Sabha expressing Inda’s concern at the growing violence and called upon the LTTE to lay down arms.

Meanwhile, a special emissary of spiritual leader and Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the issue.
“The Sri Lankan government has said that it has captured most of the LTTE territory. As military action in Sri Lanka is entering its final phase, the LTTE must lay down arms and come to the negotiating table. In the last one week about 35,000 civilians came out of the LTTE region. Unfortunately some of them were caught in the cross fire. The LTTE, too, has killed a few innocent civilians and we reiterate that LTTE must lay down arms,” the minister said in his statement. 

Pro-LTTE MDMK and PMK members objected to the reference to LTTE, forcing Lok Sabha to be adjourned twice. Subsequently the MDMK and PMK members alleged that the government was supporting Colombo. “It is not true that the LTTE has killed civilians,” they said.

Mukherjee said New Delhi was concerned about the situation in Lanka, but could not directly interfere. “We want the war to come to an end and the Tamils to get their rightful place and devolution of powers as envisaged in the 1987 pact,” the minister said.

The MDMK and PMK members walked out of the house expressing dissatisfaction at the minister’s reply.