Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today urged the Centre to take steps and prevail on Sri Lankan government to declare a permanent ceasefire.
Answering a set of questions, he said the two-day ceasefire announced by the Lankan government was too short and ”heavens would not fall”, if the government extended the ceasefire and declare an end to the war.
”I hope the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre will take steps. I insist that it should take steps to ensure permanent ceasefire in Lanka,” Mr Karunanidhi said.
On AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa’s remarks that there was a very strong feeling that if the DMK had wished, they could have exerted pressure on the Centre and brought about a permanent ceasefire, the DMK leader said the people of Tamil Nadu and Lankan Tamils were aware of the kind of pressure the DMK government was exerting.
He said Ms Jayalalithaa, who was now ”shedding tears” for Lankan Tamils had said India could intervene only to some extent in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka. She had not allowed the opposition from moving an adjournment motion to discuss the Lankan Tamils issue when she was the Chief Minister, he alleged.
But the DMK government continued to exert pressure on the Centre. This was well known to the people of the state. But the Lankan government was not willing even to listen to the pleas of many countries and the United Nations to stop the war, he charged.
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