CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

AFTER BASIL'S TRIP TO NEW DELHI AND MUKHERJI'S TRIP TO CHENNAI KARUNANIDHI WITHDRAWS HIS MP'S RESIGNATION THREAT

By Walter Jayawardhana

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi said at a press conference in Chennai that his members of parliament would not resign their seats of parliament as stated in an ultimatum announced earlier over the Sri Lankan crisis.

The Chief Minister announced the withdrawal of the threatened resignations over the Sri Lankan crisis after India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukerjee paid a visit and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi called him and conveyed to him the Sri Lanka government's assurances of the safety of the Tamil civilians.

President Rajapaksa's special envoy Basil Rajapaksa met Mukherjee and appraised him the measures taken by the Sri Lanka government about the safety of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

At the press conference indicating he no longer pressed on a ceasefire in Sri Lanka Karunanidhi said how could one stop a war of four years in four days.

Even before those face saving measures the New Delhi government had announced that it cannot force a ceasefire on a foreign government. Karunanidhi's opponent Opposition leader Jayalalitha jeyaram had called the resignations were a political farce as the resignation letters had been handed over to the Chief Minister and not to the Speaker. India's Economic Times said the resignations would back fire on the Tamil Nadu government as the breaking of the UPA alliance would affect the Tamil Nadu administration of Karunanidhi that needs the assistance of the Congress Party MLA's in Tamil Nadu .

India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee addressing reporters after the meeting with Karunanidhi said , "The Chief Minister assured me that he will not precipitate any crisis for the UPA Government." He said the Chief Minister came to the decision after Centre apprised him of steps being taken by the island nation's Government to ensure safety of Tamil civilans in that country. After the meeting Karunanidhi has withdrawn the ultimatum that all MPs from the state would resign if the Centre did not take steps to ensure a ceasefire in Sri Lanka's embattled north by October 29.

Mukherjee told reporters that India will send around 800 tonnes of relief material to Sri Lanka for the affected civilians in the north of the island.

"The Sri Lankan Government has assured India that it will provide humanitarian aid to the displaced people in the country through International Red Cross, Government of India and UN agencies," he said.

According to him Tamil Nadu Government will also mobilise relief material to affected Tamil civilians in the northern part of the island.

Meanwhile, an official release issued in Chennai said Mukherjee had gone to Chennai to brief Karunanidhi and apprise him of the steps being taken by the Centre with regard to the current situation in the island nation.

The Chief Minister thanked the Congress chief, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mukherjee for the steps being taken by the Centre, the release added.

Disclaimer: The comments contained within this website are personal reflection only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the LankaWeb. LankaWeb.com offers the contents of this website without charge, but does not necessarily endorse the views and opinions expressed within. Neither the LankaWeb nor the individual authors of any material on this Web site accept responsibility for any loss or damage, however caused (including through negligence), which you may directly or indirectly suffer arising out of your use of or reliance on information contained on or accessed through this Web site.
All views and opinions presented in this article are solely those of the surfer and do not necessarily represent those of LankaWeb.com. .

BACK TO LATEST NEWS

DISCLAIMER