Karunanidhi final call: intervene in Lanka or I quit

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday said the UPA Government should take expeditious steps to bring about a ceasefire...

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday said the UPA Government should take expeditious steps to bring about a ceasefire followed by a political solution to end the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka,failing which,he would relinquish power.

Moving a resolution in the Assembly calling for Indian mediation to first ensure a ceasefire and then initiate steps for a political solution in Sri Lanka,Karunanidhi,however,did not make any reference to DMKs presence in the UPA Government. In his statement,Karunanidhi expressed willingness to relinquish power if the efforts fail to bring peace in Sri Lanka. If the Centre did not heed the appeal,DMKs general council would meet to decide the next course of action,he said.

As Karunanidhi moved the resolution,Opposition AIADMK and MDMK staged a walkout,saying they did not want to be part of the drama being staged by the DMK. However,the CPI and CPI(M),which recently aligned with the AIADMK to contest the next Lok Sabha polls,stayed on and supported the resolution which was later adopted.

Speaking after moving the resolution,Karunanidhi said, We are making this final appeal since the earlier resolution passed by the Assembly did not reap any benefits. Please dont ignore this final appeal. Ensure a ceasefire immediately and a political solution next.

As a great democracy,India had the right to question ethnic violence in any part of the world,Karunanidhi said while seeking Indias role in Sri Lanka as Tamils there shared cultural ties with India.

The resolution was also backed by the Congress and PMK members. Congress member and party whip in the Assembly Peter Alphonse said efforts were being made by some persons to sabotage the partys ties with the DMK by painting it as anti-Tamil. The Congress was only opposed to the LTTE,he said.

Earlier,PMK floor Leader G K Mani,whose party members wore black shirts to condemn the actions of the Sri Lankan Government,called for an immediate end to hostilities.