No dilution of the 13th Amendment-India

MONDAY, 29 JULY 2013 

Top Indian minister reiterated that the Indian government was firm that there should be no dilution of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, PTI reported.

Union Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy said, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured Tamil Nadu government that there was no change in the stand of the Centre on reconciliation and devolution of political powers to ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.

13th Amendment is part of the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987 which seeks to give more powers to the provinces. There are reports that the Lankan government wants to repeal it despite India's concerns.

He said the Prime Minister had also made it clear that there would be no change in the Centre's stand on Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

He said the Sethusamudram Canal Project would be implemented and already Rs 5,500 crores had been earmarked for the project which would not affect environment.
"The Centre is firm to implement the project," he said. On Tendulkar Committee for Poverty Estimation, Narayanasamy said the Prime Minister would have a detailed study of the committee's report and then take a decision.

Ensure safety of Tamils- BJP leader SUNDAY, 28 JULY 2013 Tamils in Sri Lanka should be given special protection and their safety assured, visiting BJP leader Ananth Kumar said. On a visit to the US with BJP chief Rajnath Singh, Kumar said the Sri Lankan government should come out with a model where the Tamils will have a major say in the socio-political and economic development of the island-nation and contribute to the growth of the nation and are not discriminated against. BJP MP and General Secretary Kumar is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. "Human rights have to be safeguarded and we want a united secular Sri Lanka where all the citizens have equal rights and are not discriminated against. We will take all steps to ensure this when we come back to power," Kumar said. "The only way forward is how diplomacy is used and we should not shy away from strongly and effectively conveying our feelings and concerns to the Sri Lankan authorities," he said. The foreign policy of BJP will be on the lines of national interest with a clear decisiveness, he said. (PTI)