Having decided to skip the CHOGM summit giving in to domestic pulls and pressures, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday wrote to Sri lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa stating his inability in personally attending meet to be held in Colombo from November 15.
“The Prime Minister’s letter (to the Sri lankan President) was delivered by the High Commission of India in Colombo. The Prime Minister informs that he is unable to attend personally. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will represent him at the meeting. Diplomatic process completed,” MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here.
However, it is believed that the letter, whose contents were not disclosed, does not talk about the reasons for Singh skipping the meet. The Prime Minister has decided against undertaking the visit in view of the stiff opposition by parties in Tamil Nadu as well as a section in Congress and the Cabinet.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will now head the Indian delegation at the CHOGM Summit on November 15-16. Political parties in Tamil Nadu and several other outfits have opposed India’s participation at any level in the CHOGM meet alleging that the Sri lankan government had committed gross violation of human rights and had no plans to devolve powers to the ethnic Tamils.
However, Khurshid has been favouring Singh’s presence at the Summit of the 53-nation grouping, maintaining that it was vital as it will reflect India’s interests. According to MEA, it is also paramount to the nation’s strategic and security interests. Union Minister V Narayanasamy said the decision of the Prime Minister not to attend CHOGM “will go well with the people of Tamil Nadu”.