With domestic political compulsions increasingly outweighing international obligations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was Friday set to decide against attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka next week. Singh has been under tremendous pressure from within the Congress as well as Tamil parties,including prospective ally DMK,to skip the event to register New Delhis protest against Colombos alleged violation of the human rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka and for its failure to give more powers to its ethnic Tamils. The Congress feels his visit could have a negative political fallout in Tamil Nadu,with elections round the corner. The partys core group discussed the issue Friday,the second time in two weeks. While the party was tight-lipped on the PMs plan,sources said he may not attend the November 15-17 summit. Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding a complete boycott of the event although that is not on the cards External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid is scheduled to travel to Colombo. Besides political considerations,sources said New Delhi is upset with Colombos reluctance to address some of Indias major concerns,including implementation of the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan constitution for giving equal rights to Tamil citizens. The MEA worried about the diplomatic ramifications of the PM staying away from the high-profile event had proposed to the PMO that Singh visit Jaffna as well. The proposal also included a meeting with the Northern Provincial Councils newly-elected chief minister C V Wigneswaran,who had invited Singh to visit Jaffna. Congress sources said while India cannot stop engaging with Colombo or boycott CHOGM completely,the Prime Ministers participation would have both electoral and political ramifications in Tamil Nadu given that the entire political spectrum there is against his visit. The Tamil Nadu Assembly had even passed an unanimous resolution urging him to boycott the meeting. Congress sources also pointed out that the partys ties with the DMK which had walked out of the UPA in April over the emotive Sri Lankan Tamil issue were warming and the party would have to be careful this time around. On Friday,DMK chief Karunanidhi once again demanded New Delhi boycott the event. PM has a conscience. (It will be) enough if he acts according to that, he said. Several union ministers from Tamil Nadu are also opposed to the PMs visit and some have even gone public with their opposition. The Congress core group meeting at the Prime Ministers residence was chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi and was attended by senior ministers A K Antony,P Chidambaram,Sushilkumar Shinde and Sonias political secretary Ahmed Patel,among others. Sources said a final decision would be announced in a day or two. With the PM expected to stay away from CHOGM,the government has to pick a possible replacement to head the Indian delegation. When the PM had skipped CHOGM in Perth in 2011 due to the uproar at home over attacks on Indian students in Australia, Vice President Hamid Ansari had led the delegation. This time though,Ansari is said to have conveyed his reluctance to stand in for the PM in Colombo given his apprehension that Tamil Nadu MPs might create problems in running the Rajya Sabha if the chairperson were to attend the summit. Sources said External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid,who will attend the CHOGM foreign ministers meeting,could head the Indian delegation.
