Yashwant joins anti-Sri Lankan CHOGM chorus

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, urged Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to skip the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from 15 to 17 November the New Indian Express reported.

Addressing a hall meeting on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in Chennai, Sinha said India was the pivot of the Commonwealth body. “If India does not go there, CHOGM cannot be held,” he said. The Indian media report said that the BJP leader also called for the suspension of Sri Lanka from Commonwealth membership by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) for violations of the Harare Declaration.

“The CMAG is responsible for protecting democratic values, and any country which acts in violation of those norms or human rights can be suspended if allegations are proved,” he said. “This is where India should take action and see that Sri Lanka is suspended.”

Praising the state unit of his party, the student community and the film fraternity for spearheading a movement for Lankan Tamils, the Rajya Sabha member said the issue of Tamils in the island was a national issue and not of one state alone.  “If a BJP-led government comes to power, we will implement our policy.” At the same time, he also cautioned that any future action should be taken with care, so that the interests of the Tamils will not be further endangered. He pointed out that taking a dig at those who have remained unperturbed and undisturbed, when the photograph of slain LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran’s son was published, the boy had fallen like a man with bullet wounds on his chest, “That is the spirit of the Tamils of Sri Lanka.”