Indian plans afoot to send all-party delegation to Lanka
March 30, 2012 02:10 am
New Delhi: Government plans are afoot to send an all-party delegation led by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj to Sri Lanka in April to press for stopping all atrocities against Tamils living there and also look into their living conditions after the end of the LTTE.
Swaraj told reporters that the all-party delegation’s visit to Sri Lanka is very much on and is tentatively scheduled from April 16 to 21, reported the Press trust of India (PTI) on Thursday night.
The Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) has nominated Prahlad Joshi from the Lok Sabha and M. Venkaiah Naidu from the Rajya Sabha as its representatives in the delegation, PTI reported.
India had recently voted - after some amendments for a US resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva condemning Sri Lanka for the atrocities against Tamils during the war with the LTTE.
Sri Lanka had openly spoken against India’s decision.
BJP Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, S.S. Ahluwalia had first made the suggestion in December in Parliament that an all-party delegation should be sent to Sri Lanka to learn about the conditions of the Tamils after the LTTE was decimated and its chief V. Prabhakaran killed.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had welcomed the suggestion in the Rajya Sabha and later made a statement in the Lok Sabha endorsing the idea.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is said to be working on finalising the details of the visit, including the list of MPs who would be part of the delegation.
Swaraj said she is hopeful the trip would take place. The delegation was to leave for Colombo on February 11 but due to the Assembly elections in five states and other factors, the trip was postponed. – (Source PTI)
