Jaya, Vaiko to boycott all party meeting on Lankan Tamils

Chennai, Oct 10 (UNI) All India Anna DMK (AIADMK), the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu and its ally, the MDMK, today announced that they would boycott the All party meeting convened by the DMK government in Tamil Nadu on October 14 on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.

AIADMK General secretary J Jayalalithaa, in a statement here alleged that the meeting convened by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was just an ''eye wash to kill time'' and the AIADMK would not take part in the ''drama''.

She said Mr Karunanidhi who had resigned his MLA post when the DMK was not in power in the state and the Centre on the Tamils issue, should do the same now when he is in power, both in the state and at the Centre.

Only if he comes forward to withdraw support and pull out from the Congress led UPA government at the Centre, in which the DMK is a key constituent, the union government, in an humanitarian gesture, would come forward to save the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka, she said.

Instead of pulling out from the UPA government, Mr Karunanidhi was organising an all party meeting, which would not help to solve the issue, she said.

Ms Jayalalithaa said Mr Karunanidhi who has been a silent spectator when fishermen from Tamil Nadu were facing the unabated attacks by the Lankan navy and Indian government offering military assistance to the Lankan Government, had no moral right to convene the all party meeting.

MDMK General Secretary Vaiko also took a similar stand that Mr Karunanidhi, having let down the Sri Lankan Tamils, when the Centre was providing military and monetary support to Lanka, had no right to convene the all party meeting.

''We accuse Mr Karunanidhi of having failed to save the Tamils when they were subjected to attacks and preventing supply of relief materials. How can we take part in a meeting convened by him'', Mr Vaiko asked.

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