Chennai: Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of "weakening" a UN resolution against Sri Lanka for its alleged human rights abuse, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today urged the Centre to move the world body for imposing economic sanctions on it, till minority Tamils got equal rights.
Replying to a discussion in the Assembly on the Governor`s address, she said, India had voted against Sri Lanka in the UNHCR last year on a "strong" resolution, after her repeated insistence with the Prime Minister.
"Even then the Prime Minister had weakened it (the resolution)," she said.
Recalling a resolution adopted in the Assembly in 2011, Jayalalithaa said, it had called for economic sanctions till minority Tamils were ensured equal status at par with the Sinhalese and also press the United Nations to declare those who committed alleged crimes during the decades long conflict in Sri Lanka,as "war criminals" .
Reading out excerpts from a letter she claimed was written by the PM to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, she quoted the Prime Minister as having said, "...Your Excellency would be aware that we spared no effort and were successful in introducing an element of balance in the language of the resolution."
While Colombo was yet to act on this "watered down" resolution, there were reports suggesting US was moving another Sri Lanka-specific motion in the UNHCR, she said.
Apart from the US initiative, "considering the welfare of Tamils, India should bring one motion based on the unanimous resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and implement it along with other countries," she demanded.
PTI
