By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Monday said he will urge the central government to step up measures to bring an end to the alleged killing of Tamils by Sri Lankan security forces.
“The killing of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka has afflicted our collective conscience. I will again take up the matter with Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting them to speed up proactive moves to solve the problem,” Karunanidhi told reporters here.
Karunanidhi’s statement came after meeting a PMK delegation led by its founder leader S. Ramadoss, VCK boss Thol Thirumavalavan and Dravida Kazhagam leader K. Veeramani.
Ramadoss accused the central government of being inactive in dealing with the issue of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
“The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) has violated the Common Minimum Programme agreed to when all of us contested the 2004 general elections. This is a sore issue for us as Tamils,” Ramadoss said.
Thirumavalavan said the UPA stands to lose “a considerable percentage of votes in Tamil Nadu if it continued to ignore the Tamils’ cry for freedom”.
The Tamil Nadu government had suggested that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee travel to Colombo to press for a halt of hostilities in Sri Lanka.