Karunanidhi cautions Centre on Sri Lankan Tamils issue

Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday cautioned the Centre not to "get carried" away by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's assurance that innocent Tamils would not be affected in the ongoing military offensive against LTTE in the north of the island.

Replying to queries from members over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in the state Assembly, he alleged that the Sri Lankan Army did not make a distinction between the LTTE and Tamils and attacked both.

Karunanidhi recalled Rajapaksa's statements that Colombo treated LTTE as a terrorist organisation and said it was upto the Lankan army to decide on ways of tackling it.

 

"There should not be a single bomb dropped on Tamils or their settlements under the pretext of eliminating the LTTE. But there is no word of guarantee from Rajapakse in this regard. The Army makes no distinction between Tamils and LTTE and attacks places of worship and settlements," he charged.

The Chief Minister alleged that the motive of Rajapaksa was to "eliminate" both the LTTE and Tamils and urged the Centre not to be "fooled" by Thursday's statement of Rajapaksa in Delhi assuring safety of Tamils.

"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who have assumed the role of guiding this country, should prevail upon Sri Lanka and ask it not to drop bombs on civilians, as no country battling terrorism drops bombs on its own people," he said.

If Colombo did not accept India's advice, Singh should think of the 'next level' of steps, which echo the feelings of the people of the state, he said without elaborating.

Stating that his party was for democratic ways of struggle, Karunanidhi said he was ready to relinquish his post if the "situation warranted".