Chennai, May 10: Sharing a platform with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday skirted issues like demands for a separate Eelam in Sri Lanka and sending of Indian Army to enable its creation and strongly stood by the alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu.
With just a day left for the campaigning to the fifth and
final phase of polls, Gandhi addressed the sole election
meeting in Tamil Nadu with an ailing Karunanidhi by her side,
saying that the Sri Lankan Government had stopped combat
operations against Tamils in the northern war zone due to the
"resolute efforts" of the UPA government.
She made no reference to carving out Tamil Eelam from Sri
Lanka, a demand raised by AIADMK and its allies which was
later joined by her ally DMK.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had yesterday rubbished the
talk of sending army to Sri Lanka, saying "it is not easy to
march armies into sovereign countries".
Sonia`s affirmation of alliance with DMK came in the
backdrop of a flutter created by Rahul Gandhi who had called
Jayalaithaa a like-minded leader.
She expressed deep "pain and anguish at the serious and
heartbreaking plight of Tamil brothers and sisters and the
sufferings of innocent men, women, children and elders
(caught) in the crossfire," between army and LTTE in the
island nation.
Gandhi said Congress stood for equal rights and status
for the Tamils in Sri Lanka within the political framework of
the Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987.
"Our ultimate goal, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had
said and as has been the stand of the Congress in the last
30 years, is to secure for the Tamils equals rights and status
within the framework of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord," she
said.
"Our government had done everything possible to bring an
end to the hostilities and it was due to our resolute efforts
that Sri Lanka announced conclusion of combat operations and
people moved to safer places," Gandhi said.
The UPA was "determined" to ensure all remaining people
were moved to safe zones and carry on "our humanitarian work",
she added.
Third Front will collapse like pack of cards
Mounting a scathing attack on the
Third Front floated by Left parties, AIADMK and others,
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today dubbed it as an
"opportunistic front" and said it would "fall like a pack
of cards even before it is built".
Addressing an election rally here with DMK President M
Karunanidhi in support of candidates of Congress and DMK, she
said the Third Front was an alliance of parties only to "share
power".
"How can such an alliance of these parties with
contradictory views and interests forge together. To my mind
it is like a pack of cards, which will fall even before it
is built," the UPA chairperson said.
The UPA`s aim was to serve the people unlike the Third
Front, she claimed.
As far as the BJP was concerned, which did not have
any ally in Tamil Nadu, she said it would divide the country
through its `divisive policies`.
Appealing to the people to elect all the 40 candidates
of their alliance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (for the lone
seat) replicating the outcome of the 2004 polls, she said UPA
government had provided a unique record of accomplishments.
"No other government was able to achieve what we have
achieved," she said.
Bureau Report
