India abstaining from voting in UN meet on Sri Lanka

India abstaining from voting in UN meet on Sri Lanka

Abstaining from voting only reflected support for Sri Lanka and was against the Tamil Eelam by the BJP-led central government, DMK chief MK Stalin alleged. ‘Eelam’ denotes homeland and ‘Eelam’ Tamils ​​is a term used by political parties and others in Tamil Nadu to refer to Tamils ​​in neighboring Sri Lanka.

“Today, the Indian representative, without participating in the vote, has withdrawn. This is a great inexcusable betrayal of the Tamil Eelam by the Indian government,” Stalin said. The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution against Sri Lanka’s rights record, giving the UN body a mandate to collect evidence of crimes committed during the country’s brutal civil war (2008-09) against Sri Lankans. LTTE.

India abstained from voting and said that its approach to the human rights issue in Sri Lanka is guided by two fundamental considerations. One is supporting the Lankan Tamils ​​for equality, justice, dignity, and peace and the other is ensuring the unity, stability, and territorial integrity of that nation.

He urged Colombo to fulfill his commitments on the return of political authority, carry forward the reconciliation process, and address the aspirations of the Tamil community in the island nation.

Stalin said days ago that he wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the matter, as Lanka expected India to support him in the UN body. However, it did not happen and the Center did not provide an adequate explanation.

“We expected the Modi government to take a position in favor of the Eelam Tamils ​​in the HRC. But the Modi government has misled the Tamils ​​of the world,” alleged Stalin, who is campaigning for the assembly elections. on April 6, in a statement.

PMK founding leader S Ramadoss said India must have voted against Sri Lanka. However, the fact that India did not support Sri Lanka on the UN council and chose a neutral position was a matter of consolation, he said.

“I thank all the nations that have supported the resolution,” said Ramadoss, whose party has aligned itself with the ruling AIADMK in which the BJP is also a constituent. MDMK chief and Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko, a vocal Tamil Eelam supporter, also said India’s abstaining from voting is a “great betrayal” of the Eelam Tamils ​​and condemned the Center for it.

Both Stalin and Vaiko claimed that since the assembly elections were just around the corner in Tamil Nadu, India abstained from voting in the UN body. Otherwise, he would have voted “for” Sri Lanka, they claimed, apparently targeting the Modi government.

Hours earlier, AIADMK, a BJP ally, called on Rajya Sabha for India to support the resolution against Sri Lanka. The DMK chief said Sri Lanka thanked India for abstaining, which was for Modi’s ‘betrayal’ of the Tamil Eelam.

CPI (M) Secretary of State K Balakrishnan said it was an act of injustice against the Tamil people. “India should have voted in support of the resolution, against Sri Lanka.” The resolution entitled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” was adopted by the HRC after 22 members of the 47 members of the Council voted in favor of it, giving the UN body the mandate to collect evidence of crimes committed during the country. brutal three-decade civil war against the LTTE.

Eleven members voted against the resolution tabled by the Central Group on Sri Lanka, made up of countries such as the UK, Canada, and Germany. India was one of 14 countries that abstained from voting.