The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 is still alive and it is India’s duty to ensure that it is implemented in fullest spirit, Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan said, according to The Hindu newspaper.
“Our journey continues, we need the accord, we need to ensure that the spirit of the accord is implement and India must do its duty to ensure the same. It is India’s duty and India cannot get away from that duty,” he said, speaking at the launch of Or Inapprachanaiyum Or Oppandhamum, a Tamil book authored by T. Ramakrishnan, an associate editor with The Hindu.
“We are not saying India alone can solve this, our demand is for a political solution evolved in this country, with the consensus and support of all the people of this country,” he said.
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Referring to the Sri Lankan Government’s efforts to draft a new Constitution, currently stalled due to the ongoing political crisis between coalition partners, Sampanthan said that the position of the Tamil National Alliance is that the effort must continue and be completed. “We need maximum devolution to exercise power without interference of the Centre… powers pertaining to people’s everyday lives,” he said.
Tamils have no intention of dividing the country but wanted to live with respect and dignity in an undivided country, where their rights are acknowledged, he added. He said if Sri Lanka’s leaders failed to negotiate with all the people to evolve an acceptable political solution “we will not hesitate to do what we must to get a just solution“.
Speaking earlier, A. Varadarajaperumal, former Chief Minister of the Tamil-speaking North-Eastern Province, which was earlier a united entity, spoke of the “many contradictions” among the diplomatic, bureaucratic and intelligence arms of the Indian establishment around the time the accord was signed which, he said, led to the “failure” of the Indian military contingent (IPKF)’s intervention in Sri Lanka.
(Colombo Gazette)
