New Delhi, March 19, 2013
B. Kolappan
PTI
TALKING TOUGH: DMK president M. Karunanidhi with his son M.K. Stalin at a press
conference in Chennai on Tuesday.
The Hindu DMK president M. Karunanidhi
Karunanidhi
says government not only allowed U.S. draft resolution to be diluted but also
failed to consider amendments suggested by party
Amid raging protests by students and an upsurge
in pro-Lankan Tamil sentiment in Tamil Nadu in the run-up to the U.N. Human
Rights Council (UNHRC) vote against Sri Lanka, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on
Tuesday decided to come out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), arguing
that staying in the government and the ruling combine would do great harm to
the cause of Lankan Tamils.
DMK president M. Karunanidhi announced his
party’s decision to quit both the government and the Congress-led UPA, just a
day after Union Ministers P. Chidambaram, A. K. Antony and Ghulam Nabi Azad
tried in vain to persuade him to back down from his core demand that the
U.S.-backed resolution at the Geneva-based UNHRC be made tougher. He also ruled
out providing outside support to the UPA government.
The DMK has 18 members in the Lok Sabha and six
members in the Rajya Sabha. Mr. Karunanidhi’s announcement was greeted by DMK
leaders and cadre, who celebrated it by bursting of crackers and raising
anti-Congress slogans.
Mr. Karunanidhi said the government had not only
allowed the U.S. draft resolution to be diluted, but also failed to consider
implementing amendments suggested by the DMK. “It has created a situation that
will in no way benefit Sri Lankan Tamils,” he told journalists at the DMK
headquarters here.
The DMK chief said while the “genocide” in Sri
Lanka was a topic of discussion on the world stage, India’s failure to
understand the gravity of the situation and its indifference was
anti-democratic. The Centre had let him down badly, he said, but rejected a
suggestion that the general opinion was that the party should have quit in 2009
itself, terming it “perverse.”
He said everyone wanted the U.N. and the UNHRC
to analyse the situation in a fair manner and take an appropriate decision. “On
the contrary, India opened its door for anti-democratic activities and no Tamil
with self-respect will accept it.”
J. Balaji reports from New Delhi:
Soon after submitting the letter of withdrawal
of support to President Pranab Mukherjee at night, the DMK said it would
function as a constructive opposition party. “We are not here to topple the
government,” said DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan.
