Centre pacifies Karuna

Minister says Tamil sentiments will play role in UN vote priest roughed up

In an attempt to assuage the frayed tempers of its ally DMK over the issue of Sri Lankan war crimes, the Centre on Saturday said that it would bear in mind the emotions and sentiments of the Tamil people while finalising its stand on a US-sponsored resolution which will be moved at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva next week.

“In Tamil Nadu, the issue is very emotive and sensitive for the people and political parties. Therefore, the DMK and its leader M. Karunanidhi has men- tioned the sentiments on that,” MoS in the PMO V. Narayanasamy told reporters here.

He added, “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will definitely consider all these aspects” while arriving at a decision.

It was a bid to placate DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, who on Friday threatened to walk out of the Cabinet if India does not press for an amendment in the resolution asking for an international probe into the alleged genocide in the last stages of the war in 2009 that saw the decimation of the LTTE. The DMK chief on Saturday stuck to his stand and argued that the party has put “necessary pressure” on the Centre over the issue. Mr Karunanidhi added that he is yet to get a response from the Centre, saying, “The Centre’s response is the time frame. The period till then is the time frame.”

With 18 MPs in its kitty, the DMK is the second largest constituent in the UPA after the Congress and it has one cabinet and four ministers of state in the government.