THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS CALLS DMK ACT BLACK MAIL AND WANTS NEW DELHI TO GO FOR GENERAL ELECTIONS FOR THE COUNTRY’S GOOD

– By Walter Jayawardhana –

If a resolution is passed by the Indian parliament accusing Sri Lanka army of war crimes or genocide on the lines proposed by DMK Supremo Karunanidhi because of his threat to leave government that could be considered black mail and a positive reaction to that could be a bad precedent to India’s foreign policy cautioned the New Indian express in an editorial.

The editorial categorically said, “The only viable option for the Congress now is that it should either work out a minimum common national agenda with the opposition to meet immediate challenges or go for a fresh mandate of the people.”

The following is the full text of the editorial: “Whether the DMK’s decision to pull out of the Congress-led UPA coalition at the Centre is mere posturing or an attempt to pull the rug from under Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s feet by positioning its supremo Karunanidhi as a true champion of Tamils in India and abroad only time will tell. But there can be little doubt that it is politics at play. The threat of withdrawal of support is ostensibly in protest against the government’s position on a US-backed United Nations resolution against war crimes during the last days of the Sri Lankan army’s assault on the Tamil Tigers in 2009. A window for reconciliation with the Congress has been left open by Karunanidhi by proclaiming that the DMK could re-consider its stand if the Indian Parliament were to pass a resolution condemning the Sri Lankan army’s ‘genocide’ and ‘war crimes.’

If a resolution were to be passed on those lines, it would amount to submission to blackmail. It would doubtlessly sour Indo-Sri Lankan relations. Besides, it would set a bad precedent if regional politics is allowed to dictate the course of the country’s foreign policy. India’s protests over Pakistani Parliament passing a resolution on Kashmir or if the Chinese were to pass a resolution on Arunachal Pradesh would ring hollow if this were to happen.  Unless the DMK changes tack, the UPA government is confronted with a Hobson’s choice.

Though finance minister P. Chidambaram has claimed that there is no threat to the government, it is clear that the government will not be able to take any critical decisions. Trade-offs with parties like the BSP and SP might enable the Congress to prolong the life of the government it leads but it would also force it to compromise on major issues to the detriment of national interest. The only viable option for the Congress now is that it should either work out a minimum common national agenda with the opposition to meet immediate challenges or go for a fresh mandate of the people”