Jayalalithaa happy over India voting against Sri Lanka

Saturday, 24 March 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

(DNA) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday expressed happiness over India voting in favour of US-backed resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, describing it as ‘heartening’, but said India had been “very indecisive on this very sensitive issue”.

Welcoming India’s voting, she said in a statement, “the government of India had been ambivalent on this and Sri Lanka almost succeeded in persuading India to defeat this resolution.”

She recalled the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a resolution in June 2011, urging the Centre to work with UN members in bringing to book persons who had perpetrated war crimes against Tamils in Sri Lanka during the ethnic conflict in 2009.

The resolution had also urged the Centre to work with other nations to impose an economic embargo on Colombo, till the Tamils were given equal rights on par with Sinhalese and were settled in their homes with respect and dignity, she said.

“Though the Government of India had not acted on this resolution of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, thanks to the resolution brought by the USA in the 19th session of the UNHRC, the Government of India was forced to take a stand on this issue”, she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had merely stated that the Government did not yet have the final text of the resolution and that India was inclined to vote in favour of it, she said.

Media reports suggested that External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had said that the Centre had not taken a stand on the resolution which DMK LeaderM Karunanidhi has also termed as only a “diversionary tactic”, Jayalalithaasaid. “Amidst all this confusion and procrastination, it is heartening to note that the Government of India has finally voted in favour of a resolution moved by the USA”, she said, referring to the constant pressure brought by her on behalf of the Tamils.