By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Congress president K.V. Thangkabalu said Sunday that the Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka can be resolved only by implementing an accord New Delhi and Colombo signed in 1987.
“The only solution to the Tamil people’s issues can be through the application of the accord signed between (then Indian) prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and (then Sri Lankan) president J.R. Jayewardene in 1987. And this will be possible (only) after the warring sides cease fighting,” Thangkabalu said here.
The accord was signed to devolve powers to the Tamil minority. But it failed as Indian troops deployed in Sri Lanka’s northeast got locked in fighting with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Thangkabalu’s comments came after LTTE political head Nadesan told a television channel that his outfit was ready for a ceasefire to end the killings of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka.
Thangkabalu expressed his opinion after meeting Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. The Congress leader handed over a cheque of Rs.500,000 to the chief minister towards relief for the Tamils of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, over 500 television artistes and technicians began a day-long hunger strike here Sunday demanding “an end to the killings in Sri Lanka”. The protest began with a speech by Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary and Rajya Sabha member S. Thirunaavukkarasar.
This is the fourth major protest by the entertainment industry in recent weeks.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has ruled out any effort by the Indian government to initiate a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to visit New Delhi this month to explain Colombo’s stand on the conflict to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.