Lanka Resolution: India to move amendments
New Delhi, Mar 20 : Even as its ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) walked out of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government over the alleged soft stand of India on Sri Lanka, the government said Wednesday it would move an amendment to the draft resolution on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Addressing a press conference, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said India has decided to move amendments to the UN resolution against Sri Lanka while also holding consultation for a resolution in Indian parliament.
Along with other cabinet colleagues like Kamal Nath and Manish Tewari, Chidambaram said: "Our position is that we intend to move amendments to the draft resolution before the UNHC. We will also continue to consult political parties for bringing a resolution to be adopted by parliament."
He said India's permanent representative to the UNHRC is here from consultation and he would be given suitable instructions.
He said it is a canard that India is working with USA to dilute the resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC.
He said the government is not aware why DMK changed its position despite assurances.
The ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'s southern ally DMK on Tuesday pulled out of the government in New Delhi over its "soft stand" on the atrocities on Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamils vis-a-vis a US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC session at Geneva, dealing a body blow to the main constituent Congress party led coalition.
The DMK wanted India to go for a strongly worded resolution against Sri Lanka for its atrocities and killings of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka that followed after the civil war in that country ended with the defeat of the LTTE.
"Sri Lanka has committed serious crimes and the DMK has always condemned these crimes, " DMK chief Karunanidhi had said, whose party wanted India to incorporate words like "war crimes" and "genocide" in the UNHRC resolution sponsored by the USA which will go for voting end of this month.