New Delhi: There was uproar in Parliament after Tamil parties demanded that India backs a UN resolution against Sri Lanka's alleged war crimes. Finance Minister and Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said the government has not decided its stand on the issue as yet.
Pranab dropped a hint saying the government normally did not back country-specific resolutions. "PM has written a letter to Karunanidhi and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the date is not yet fixed. We do not support any specific resolution for a particular country. We will determine a time to discuss this after discussions with the human rights team," Pranab said in the Lok Sabha.
The Prime Minister has written a letter to Karunanidhi. In his letter he said, "With regard to UNHRC resolution, we are engaged with all parties to achieve an outcome that is forward looking rather than deepening confrontation and mistrust."
Sources say India and other countries are discussing the usage of words in the UN resolution. India's stand will depend on the wording of the resolution.
Senior diplomat Dilip Sinha is in Geneva for the resolution. According to sources, there may not necessarily be a vote to pass the resolution but India has the option to abstain if there's a vote.
Sources say India feels that Sri Lanka should investigate war crime allegations.
The DMK and AIADMK have demanded an assurance from the government that India will support a US-sponsored resolution at the UN human rights council seeking a probe into alleged atrocities against ethnic Tamils during the civil war.
The Opposition BJP and Left also demanded that the government clears its stand on the issue.
The Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned twice following the uproar in the House.
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is on his way to Delhi from Karnataka where he was campaigning for a by-poll. He will make a statement on the issue in Parliament on Wednesday.
This came a day after a video was released by Britain's Channel 4 showing slain LTTE chief Prabhakaran's 12-year-old son's body stripped to the waist with five bullet holes in the chest.
The video has surfaced at a time when Colombo is fighting off a US sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council seeking to censure Colombo over its alleged war crimes. It seeks an immediate probe into the alleged atrocities by Lankan soldiers. The issue is also likely to be discussed in Parliament.
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