A day after threatening to pull out of the Centre if it failed to push an amended US resolution against Sri Lanka, key UPA ally DMK today said the party has put “necessary pressure” on the Indian government and was yet to get a response from it.

“The Centre’s response is the time frame. The period till then is the time frame,” DMK chief M Karunanidhi said, when asked whether he had set any time frame to the Centre to respond to its demand.

“We have given necessary pressure,” said Karunanidhi, who yesterday warned that his party’s continuance in the Union government would be meaningless, if India failed to act.

“So far, there is no response,” Karunanidhi said, when asked whether there was any response from the Centre on his demand yesterday.

To a question on what was his final expectation from the Centre on the issue, he said, “The Centre should make efforts to incorporate necessary amendments to the US sponsored resolution.”

DMK wants India to make all efforts to bring about amendments in the US-backed resolution in the UNHRC to seek an independent international probe into the genocide allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan government.

Besides identifying war criminals, the amendments should also recommend strong and time-bound action against them, the party demanded.

“Since India was not making any effort to propose a resolution at the UNHRC, it should support the US sponsored resolution with necessary amendments,” he had said.

CPM wants India to press for credible probe into ‘war crimes’

Meanwhile the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday said India should press for a credible and independent probe into the alleged war crimes by Sri Lankan forces and seek devolution of powers by the island nation’s government to Tamil-dominated areas.

“At the UN Human Rights Council meeting, the government should take the stand that the Sri Lankan government should agree to a high level, credible and independent enquiry on the allegations of war crimes committed during the last phase of the civil war,” the party Politburo said in a statement in New Delhi.

It said that though four years have passed since the end of hostilities between Sri Lankan army and the LTTE, “no meaningful steps have been taken to address the issues of atrocities committed during the last phase of the war. Enough evidence exists about war crimes against innocent civilians.”

The UNHRC had adopted a resolution in March 2012 asking Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. “Since then, there has been no progress in the matter,” it said.

The CPM expressed concern at the declaration by Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa that no autonomy would be given to the Tamil-speaking areas.

“By this, he has gone back from his own stand that something more than the 13th amendment to the Constitution can be provided in terms of devolution of power to the Tamil- speaking region.”

The CPM said New Delhi should take up this matter and press Colombo to arrive at a political settlement so that adequate power is devolved to the Tamil-speaking areas.

- With excerpts from PTI