India summons Lankan envoy over article on MoD website

Tuesday, 5 August 2014 01:16 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday announced that her Government will summon the Sri Lankan High Commissioner over a derogatory article mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. “The Government has strongly condemned the development,” Sushma Swaraj said in India’s upper house of Parliament yesterday when the issue came up. “We will certainly summon the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and convey this to him.” The Indian Rajya Sabha on Monday witnessed two adjournments during Question Hour as AIADMK members vociferously protested against a “derogatory” article against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry website. Jayalalitha’s Party, the AIADMK members trooped into the Well shouting slogans, which made Chairman Hamid Ansari to observe that their behaviour was unbecoming of Members of Parliament. AIADMK members moved into the aisles displaying copies of the article on the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry website. The Sri Lankan Government has already apologised for the article and removed it from the website. (The Hindu)

 Sri Lanka’s U15 cricket team sent back due to security concerns

Sri Lanka’s Under 15 cricket team was sent back from Chennai yesterday, owing to security concerns following the furore over an article that appeared on the Defence Ministry website regarding Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha. The 16-member team had arrived from Colombo on Sunday night and were put up at an accommodation in the city. They were denied permission to participate in the tournament yesterday owing to security reasons, officials added. Meanwhile members of the Tamil film industry staged a protest in front of the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner’s office in Chennai over the “derogatory” article against Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on a Sri Lankan official website. The protesters, including actor Surya, his father and veteran actor Sivakumar, Director Mano Bala and others held placards to protest in Nungambakkam, where the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner’s office is located. Shootings of some Tamil movies were also cancelled as a mark of support to the protest call given by the film industry, industry officials said. The article triggered widespread public and political outrage in Tamil Nadu state, prompting the Sri Lankan Government to remove it and issue an unqualified apology to the two leaders. (Economic Times and Deccan Chronicle)
 

COMMENTS