“Don’t get cheated by Rajabaksa” – Karunanidhi warns Indian PM Manmohan Singh


(Tamil Insight, 14 11 2008) - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Friday charged that Sri Lanka President Rajabaksa has been destroying Eelam Tamil community in the name of fighting against terrorism. He warned Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: “Don’t get cheated by Rajabaksa.”

Winding up a discussion on the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, he said “we will not hesitate to resign our posts to protect Eelam Tamils”.

“Neither the DMK nor other parties are heartless enough to ignore the sufferings of Tamils in the neighbourhood and cling to power. To press for an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka, our ministers in the central cabinet will quit if needed,” Karunanidhi told the state assembly.

“The centre should analyse (Sri) Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s attempts to fool India by the bisection of the Tamils’ issue in the island as a terrorist problem to be dealt with militarily (on the one hand) and offer to safeguard minority civilians (on the other). We should demand a road map for a political negotiation and its aftermath,” he pointed out.

“Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should point out to Rajapaksa that several nations including India, Pakistan, the US and Britain do not bomb their own citizens despite facing issues of extremism,” Karunanidhi added.

The Centre should exercise utmost caution while dealing with the Sri Lankan Tamils issue now as Sri Lankan Army’s bombardment in the Northern areas of the country would kill Tamil civilians, he said.
Karunanidhi accused Rajapaksa of seeking time to eliminate Tamil race in the island republic and said that the Centre should not get ‘deceived and carried away by his words’.

There were ways to tackle extremism and the Centre should convey the concerns of Indian Tamils to the Sri Lankan government, he told the State Assembly.

“If they do not pay heed to the words, the Centre should tell them that the Indian Government has to think of the next step,” he said.

“We have to think of all the ways to protect Tamil race and we firmly believe in non-violence. From the period of Mahatma Ghandi we are practicing peaceful democratic means in our struggle. If non-violence can save Tamils, we are prepared to go that way. I am even prepared to step down from my office,” he said.

Earlier AIADMK Legislature Party Deputy Leader O Pannerselvam asked Karunanidhi, “what happened to the all party resolution about resignation of MPs. All the ministers from Tamil Nadu should quit,” he said.

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