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The 13-member multi-party delegation, headed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, that visited Sri Lanka submitted its report on the condition of ethnic Tamils to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday. The delegation had a 45-minute meeting with the PM at Parliament House during which they briefed about their five-day visit to Sri Lanka from April 16 to April 21.
Submitting a report that has in detail their conclusions about the visit, Swaraj told Singh that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapksa needed to persuade the Tamil National Alliance to join a Select Parliamentary Committee to find a solution to “genuine” political grievances of Tamils.
Singh spoke to every member of the delegation and listened to their views and suggestions, sources said about the meeting during which External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, NSA Shivshankar Menon and MoS in PMO V Narayanasamy were present.
“The Prime Minister said the visit was timely and came at a crucial period of the bilateral ties,” Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manicka Tagore, who was part of the delegation, told PTI.
Singh told the delegation that India was closely working with Sri Lanka and “will stand solidly behind the Tamils,” Tagore said. Swaraj also emphasised that the 13th Amendment that envisages devolution of powers to Tamil-dominated North and East provinces needs to be implemented.
Submitting a report that has in detail their conclusions about the visit, Swaraj told Singh that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapksa needed to persuade the Tamil National Alliance to join a Select Parliamentary Committee to find a solution to “genuine” political grievances of Tamils.
Singh spoke to every member of the delegation and listened to their views and suggestions, sources said about the meeting during which External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, NSA Shivshankar Menon and MoS in PMO V Narayanasamy were present.
“The Prime Minister said the visit was timely and came at a crucial period of the bilateral ties,” Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manicka Tagore, who was part of the delegation, told PTI.
Singh told the delegation that India was closely working with Sri Lanka and “will stand solidly behind the Tamils,” Tagore said. Swaraj also emphasised that the 13th Amendment that envisages devolution of powers to Tamil-dominated North and East provinces needs to be implemented.
