Chennai:
With emotions running high in Tamil Nadu over the Sri Lanka issue, the state assembly today adopted a resolution asking the Centre to stop treating Sri Lanka as a friendly country.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, also demands India to move a UN resolution seeking a referendum on a separate Eelam among Tamils in Sri Lanka and those who have migrated abroad. Eelam is the separate homeland in Sri Lanka, Lankan Tamils are seeking.
The resolution also seeks credible international probe into the allegations of genocide of Lankan Tamils in the island nation. It also wants the Centre to impose an economic embargo against Sri Lanka till the alleged atrocities against Tamils are stopped.
There have been protests all over Tamil Nadu for days now, with all major political parties and students demanding that the Centre take a strong stand against Sri Lanka for its alleged war crimes in the final months of the civil war that ended when defence forces crushed the separatist Tamil Tigers in May 2009. The assembly resolution also asks the students to give up protests.
Last week the DMK pulled out of the UPA coalition at the Centre, accusing India of watering down a UN resolution against Sri Lanka that was adopted last week. India voted against Sri Lanka, but the Tamil Nadu parties say it let down Sri Lankan Tamils by failing to persuade the UN to use stronger language against the island nation and by not pushing for an independent rather than an internal inquiry into the alleged war crimes.
Just yesterday Ms Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to the Prime Minister saying that no Indian Premier League (IPL) matches would be allowed in the state capital if they involved Sri Lankan players, umpires or officials. The tournament begins next week and at least 10 matches are scheduled in Chennai. The IPL governing council then decided at a hurried tele-conference with team owners that Sri Lankan cricketers will not play Indian Premier League matches in Chennai.