India consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfil aspirations of Tamil people

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that India is consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people.

New Delhi: India on Wednesday said it has consistently called upon Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitments to meet the expectations of the Tamil people for equality, justice and peace.

In response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan also said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in meetings with his Sri Lankan counterpart has reiterated India's support for the reconciliation process in the island nation.

"Government has consistently called upon Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitments relating to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka," Muraleedharan said.

Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka in January and the Tamil issue figured in his meetings in Colombo.

"In his meetings with the Sri Lankan foreign minister, EAM reiterated India's longstanding support for the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka and emphasised that it is in Sri Lanka's own interest that the expectations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka are fulfilled," said Muraleedharan.

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"That applies equally to the commitments made by the Sri Lankan Government on meaningful devolution, including the 13th Amendment to the Constitution," he said.

The 13th amendment provides for devolution of power to the Tamil community. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

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Muraleedharan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his meeting with Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa in February last and during a virtual summit in September, called upon the island nation to address aspirations of the Tamil people.

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"The prime minister called upon the government of Sri Lanka to address the aspirations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka, including by carrying forward the process of reconciliation with the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution," he said.

PTI