Conveying his disapproval of the treatment of Sri Lankan Tamils in their country, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said he would personally take the issue up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"The Indian government has been trying to get a fair deal for the Tamils. We have put utmost pressure on the Lankan government. The Indian government has given Rs 2,000 crore for the rehabilitation of Tamils and for building 80,000 houses for them," he added.
At an interactive session with ‘intellectuals’ at a hotel in the city, Rahul, who is on a two-day tour of the State, assured the gathering that he "will take up the issue personally with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to get a better deal for the Tamils in Sri Lanka."
He is also believed to have told them that "there is a limit beyond which we cannot go."
Rahul’s remarks came when his attention was drawn to the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils and the feeling of the people of Tamil Nadu that the Centre was not doing enough for the Tamils in the island nation.
He reportedly admitted it as he said, "There is a general feeling that the Congress and the government have not done enough for the Sri Lankan Tamils".
When asked how he could bring about changes in the political scenario when surrounded by people of questionable integrity, he is believed to have answered, "People who are sincerely interested in society are not entering politics. Congress party’s doors are open to sincere people. Because sincere and honest people are not coming forward. All types of wrong people are entering politics. I cannot prevent them."
Urging such "sincere people" to come into the political sphere, Rahul said he was trying to "make a beginning by revamping the Youth Congress by holding elections in a transparent manner to ensure that honest and sincere people from the grassroots level enter politics."
"We’ve made a start. Let’s us see the result," he added.
Interestingly, Rahul reportedly made no mention of corruption or corrupt leaders during his interaction.
About 100 ‘intellectuals’, many of them from the film industry, were invited for the interaction.
Actors Revathi, Nasser, Jayam Ravi, movie producer Ramanarayanan were among the 30 film personalities who attended the interaction and they appealed to Rahul to deal with issue of video piracy, which is adversely affecting the cinema industry.
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