Vaiko's visit to Lanka derailed India's efforts: CM

Chennai, Aug 19 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi made a startling disclosure in the Assembly today that India's effort to find an amicable solution to the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka were derailed by MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, who undertook a clandestine visit to the north east part of the island in 1989.

Defending the resolution in the Assembly yesterday condemning the aerial strikes in Mullaitheevu killing 61 children, he said there was nothing wrong in denouncing the action of the Lankan armed forces.

Though the Lankan government claimed the dead were LTTE recruits, photographs showed the victims were innocent children, he said.

Referring to the Sri Lankan Government's statement that the Tamil Nadu Assembly's resolution was based on 'fabricated reports,' Mr Karunanidhi said if condemnation of killing Tamils was wrong, the Tamils would continue to commit that mistake. The unanimously passed resolution showed Tamils would sink their differences when their brethren were in trouble, he added.

Responding to MDMK floor leader M Kannappan, who raised the issue during Zero hour, he said the problem of Eelam Tamils could be categorised into two phases - before Rajiv Gandhi and after Rajiv.

If the 'After Rajiv' period had not come about, the situation of Eelam Tamils would have been different, he said.

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