Manmohan writes to MR on CHOGM no-show

Monday, 11 November 2013 00:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday officially informed President Mahinda Rajapaksa in writing that he would be unable to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo this Friday. Singh has written a short letter to Rajapaksa informing him of his decision not to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit (CHOGM), the Press Trust of India reported, quoting sources.

The letter will be delivered to the Sri Lankan President by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, the sources said. However, PTI reported that it is believed that the letter, contents of which were not disclosed, does not talk about the reasons for Singh skipping the meet. The Prime Minister has decided against undertaking the visit in view of the opposition by parties in Tamil Nadu as well as a section in Congress. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will head the Indian delegation at the CHOGM Summit on November 15-16. Political parties in Tamil Nadu and several other outfits have opposed India’s participation at any level in the CHOGM meet alleging that the Sri Lankan Government had committed gross violation of human rights and had no plans to devolve powers to the ethnic Tamils. However, Khurshid has been favouring Singh’s presence in the CHOGM scheduled on 15 November, maintaining that it was vital as it would reflect India’s interests. According to MEA, it is also paramount to the nation’s strategic and security interests.