Saturday, November 23, 2024
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Karuna opposes training of Lankan defence personnel

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Chennai: Criticising the UPA government for continuing to allow training of Sri Lankan defence personnel in the country despite opposition to it in Tamil Nadu, DMK, a key ally of the ruling front, on Tuesday said India should immediately stop such exercises.

The Centre was adopting the same approach on the training issue as in the case of recurring attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen allegedly by Sri Lankan Naval personnel, DMK chief M Karunanidhi told reporters here.

“Sri Lankan defence personnel are sent to some other states whenever we protest but are allowed to continue training after some days,” he said apparently referring to recent shifting of some Sri Lankan Airforce personnel from IAF’s base near here to Bangalore.

He recalled that the recently-held Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference, a pro-Sri Lankan Tamils outfit founded by him, had adopted a resolution insisting Sri Lankan defence personnel should not be given training in any part of the country.

He said DMK MPs had also handed over a copy of the resolution to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“Despite these efforts, the training programme is happening. The Centre should not continue this attitude and take up strongly the issue along with attack on Indian fishermen with Sri Lanka”, he said.

Karunanidhi’s demand comes two days after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa shot off a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister opposing the training given to two Sri Lankan defence personnel in the Defence Service Staff College at Wellington in Nilgiris district, saying the Centre’s attitude on the issue was “reprehensible”.

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have been opposing imparting of training to Sri Lankan personnel saying it hurt the sentiments of Tamils in view of war crime charges against the island forces during the final battle against LTTE in 2009.

PMK leader S Ramadoss said at a time when political leaders in the state were insisting that India should not impart training to defence personnel from the island nation, Raju’s remarks were condemnable.

Accusing the Centre of following wrong principles with its ties with Sri Lanka, he demanded that the two defence personnel be sent back.

Demanding that India should not impart training to Sri Lankan defence personnel in any part of the country, Ramadoss said any agreement with Colombo regarding any such exercise should be scrapped.

Raju also came under attack from MDMK founder Vaiko, who described the Minister’s statement as “atrocious.”

Accusing the UPA government of helping Colombo in the last leg of the war between the Sri Lankan armed forces and LTTE, which saw many human casualties, Vaiko said the Centre “should not play with fire,” and warned that violent protests may erupt in Tamil Nadu, and “the country’s unity will be jeopardised.” (PTI)

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