CM Jayalalitha’s speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly [on YouTube in Tamil]
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly has adopted a resolution asking the Centre to stop treating Sri Lanka as a friendly country. It also calls for a referendum on a separate Eelam among Tamils in Sri Lanka and Lankan Tamils abroad.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution urging the Centre to slap economic embargo on Colombo till the “suppression” of Tamils was stopped and those responsible for “genocide and war crimes” faced an international probe. Moving the resolution, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa said the ongoing students protest was reflective of her government’s initiate on the Sri Lankan issue even as she requested them to withdraw the stir and resume classes.
TN State Assembly Resolution
Jayalalithaa also criticised DMK chief Karunanidhi for double standards on the Lankan Tamils issue. She highlighted that an Indian Premier League (IPL) team owned by Karunanidhi’s grand-nephew has two Sri Lankan players. Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Group had bought the Hyderabad team – Sunrisers – in 2012 and retained Kumar Sangakkara as skipper and paid a whopping $6,75,000 for all-rounder Thisara Perera.
Launching a tirade against the Centre and DMK, she alleged that both had “failed” to ensure ceasefire in 2009 when hostilities were at the peak in Sri Lanka. She charged Karunanidhi with adopting “duplicity” on the issue and said people were aware of it.
Her remarks drew vociferous protests from DMK members. Speaker P Dhanapal ordered for eviction of agitated DMK members when his plea for restoration of order in the House went unheeded.
Jayalalithaa had earlier asked the Central government to move amendments to the US-backed resolution on Sri Lanka over war crimes against ethnic Tamils. “Don’t just support the US-backed resolution on Lankan Tamils issue at UNHRC, but strengthen it through suitable amendments,” Jayalalithaa had written in a letter to PM Manmohan. India finally voted against Sri Lanka at the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.
(With Additional Inputs From PTI)
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Jayalalithaa calls for a referendum on separate Eelam
R Satyanarayana, TNN | Mar 27, 2013
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has called for a referendum among Sri Lankan Tamils on the formation of a ‘Separate Eelam’ (Tamil land) within Sri Lanka. The referendum, she said, should be held for the sake of their future welfare. “The referendum should be conducted among Tamils in Sri Lanka and other displaced Tamils across the world. A resolution should also be adopted in the UN security council in this regard,” she told the assembly.