Cong stops short of backing Eelam

Move follows Jaya's volte-face

The Congress on Thursday made a subtle change in its proposition for solving the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, apparently to keep in tune with its ally, the DMK in Tamil Nadu.

The Congress stopped short of endorsing the LTTE’s demand for a separate homeland for the Sri Lankan Tamils and said it was for “a peaceful political solution” to the ethnic conflict in the island nation.

The party, however, dropped the qualifying phrase “within the framework of the Sri Lankan constitution”, which it has so far been adding whenever suggesting a political solution to the prolonged conflict.

The Congress changed its tune after DMK supremo Karunanidhi jumped on to the ‘Eelam’ (separate homeland) bandwagon on Wednesday and vowed to make all efforts to make a separate country for Sri Lankan Tamils a reality.

A solution within the framework of Sri Lankan Constitution has been the Congress’ prescription to end the conflict. It has also been the official stand of the Indian government.

But Congress’ chief spokesman M Veerappa Moily said the party was in favour of a peaceful political solution to the conflict. Congress sources later confirmed that the party deliberately refrained from calling for a solution within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution to ensure that it did not sound straightaway contradicting Karunanidhi.

The party neither wanted itself to be seen singing in tune with the LTTE, which had not only killed its leader and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, but has also been outlawed and branded as a terrorist organisation by several countries. The Lankan Army’s offensive against the LTTE and the plight of the civilian Tamils has been a major issue in the run-up to the May 13 Lok Sabha polls in the state.

AIADMK’s chief J Jayalalitha made a volte-face to endorse the LTTE’s call for ‘Eelam’ and thus put pressure on Karunanidhi, who finally echoed her. “The DMK is a valued ally of the Congress. He (Karunanidhi) may raise this issue after the new government by the Congress and its allies comes to power,” said Moily.