S M Krishna pushed Sri Lanka to focus on 'genuine reconciliation' of Tamils, Sinhalas

Chennai: Taking over as External Affairs Minister immediately after the 30-year-old civil war ended in Sri Lanka, S M Krishna spearheaded India’s efforts to build bridges with the ethnic Tamil community in the neighbouring country and rebuild their lives. 

Krishna passionately pushed the Sri Lankan government, when the Rajapaksa brothers ruled the country with an iron fist following the defeat of the LTTE, to focus on “genuine reconciliation” between minority Tamils and majority Sinhalas, while arriving at a political resolution.

His tenure saw the launch of a housing scheme for the war-affected and restoring several railway lines blown up by LTTE. 

The suave and articulate politician became the first top-ranking Indian leader to visit the war-torn Kilinochchi and the memorial built in memory of the warriors of the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) in Colombo during his second visit to Sri Lanka in 2012.

Krishna did try to strike a chord with the ethnic community by making serious attempts to lace his English speech with Tamil, a language he wasn’t very comfortable with.  “I have a sense of satisfaction that all the programmes which PM Manmohan Singh had announced for Sri Lanka are being pursued vigorously,” Krishna told this correspondent on the way back to Bengaluru from Colombo after a four-day visit. 

Krishna developed personal rapport with the then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister G L Peiris, which helped during negotiations.

He asked Sri Lanka to go beyond the 13th Amendment, which envisages devolution of powers to Tamil-dominated provinces, in arriving at a just solution. 

It was during Krishna’s tenure as Foreign Minister, India began the construction of 50,000 houses for internally displaced persons in Tamil-dominated areas of Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu and opened its consulate in Jaffna, cultural capital of ethnic Tamils.

His tenure saw India taking up various development projects across Sri Lanka, including restoring railway lines in north and south and construction of Jaffna cultural centre. 

India had then taken a conscious decision to directly engage with ethnic Tamils besides dealing with Sri Lankan government. 

Since the Lankan issue had political connotations owing to the sentiment factor in Tamil Nadu, the MEA under Krishna had to keep in mind not just diplomacy, but also domestic political considerations. 

It was in March 2012, when Krishna was the Foreign Minister, India deviated from its policy and voted in favour of a resolution brought in by the West at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. 

While India never supported such moves, the UPA II government was under pressure from its ally, DMK, to vote against Sri Lanka.

In 2013, months after Krishna left South Block, the country followed the 2012 formula and voted in favour of another resolution against Sri Lanka.