In a sharp criticism of the UPA regime, one of its coalition partners, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), has accused the government of deliberately ignoring the sentiments of Tamil Nadu by refusing to heed the state's repeated pleas to take steps to end the war in Sri Lanka.
In a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister, PMK founder S Ramadoss assailed " New Delhi’s mindless and callous attitude" and wondered whether it was silent only because those at the receiving end of "genocidal frenzy" were voiceless Tamils.
The letter was written two days ago but was released to the press only on Saturday. Coming a day after the PMK decided not to back any party in an Assembly byelection, its strong note of disapproval may mean that it is preparing the ground to reconsider its continuance in the UPA and avoid being on the same side as the DMK in the next Lok Sabha polls.
"For the scheming bureaucrats and unconcerned decision-makers in New Delhi, are the war-and-genocide-mongers in Colombo more important than the millions of law-abiding Tamilians? Is the honour and self-respect of these millions are of no concern to them?" the PMK leader asked.
He recalled the state Assembly's resolutions on Sri Lanka and reminded Manmohan Singh of his promise to send external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee to Colombo to persuade the island nation to stop the war.
In a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister, PMK founder S Ramadoss assailed " New Delhi’s mindless and callous attitude" and wondered whether it was silent only because those at the receiving end of "genocidal frenzy" were voiceless Tamils.
The letter was written two days ago but was released to the press only on Saturday. Coming a day after the PMK decided not to back any party in an Assembly byelection, its strong note of disapproval may mean that it is preparing the ground to reconsider its continuance in the UPA and avoid being on the same side as the DMK in the next Lok Sabha polls.
"For the scheming bureaucrats and unconcerned decision-makers in New Delhi, are the war-and-genocide-mongers in Colombo more important than the millions of law-abiding Tamilians? Is the honour and self-respect of these millions are of no concern to them?" the PMK leader asked.
He recalled the state Assembly's resolutions on Sri Lanka and reminded Manmohan Singh of his promise to send external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee to Colombo to persuade the island nation to stop the war.
Nothing had been done by the UPA government on the steps that the PMK had suggested on Sri Lanka. On December 4, Ramadoss had given a note to the Prime Minister when he met an all-party delegation headed by chief minister M Karunanidhi.
Ramadoss said if India could do nothing directly, it could have acted through the UN Security Council.
Ramadoss said if India could do nothing directly, it could have acted through the UN Security Council.
"This has not even been attempted despite the fact that Sri Lanka has been listed among the eight red alert' countries where genocide or mass atrocities were either underway or were in the risk of breaking out."
