Against the backdrop of divisions within the Gover-nment and opposition from Tamil Nadu parties over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s likely participation in Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) in Colombo, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday met DMK supremo M Karunanidhi to discuss the issue.
While Chidambaram did not reveal what transpired in the meeting. “No decision has been taken about the participation of the PM in the CHOGM,” Chidambaram told reporters after calling on Karunanidhi at the latter’s Gopalapuram residence.
“Individual members of the Congress have expressed their opinion about the participation of the PM in the Colombo summit. But we are yet to take any final decision,” Chidambaram said.
t in New Delhi on Friday, dropping a hint that he was also part of the Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu who do not favour the PM’s participation in= the CHOGM in Colombo, his meeting with Karunanidhi has raised several eyebrows in political circles in the State.
Though Chidambaram has given “greetings of Diwali festival” as the reason for this meeting, his earlier reply to journalists who met him that the killing of a lady journalist in Sri lanka during the 2009 Eelam War disserved condemnation clearly shows that the issue of participation in CHOGM was the main discussion the Finance Minister had had with Karunanidhi. It is known to everyone in Tamil Nadu that Karunanidhi does not celebrate Diwali.
DMK is among 11 major political parties in Tamil Nadu which have demanded that India boycott the CHOGM and register its strong protest over alleged war crimes against Tamils in Sri lanka. Karunanidihi had recently hardened his stand over the issue, saying “not even a speck of rust should be present at the meet”. He had also cautioned former ally Congress it would have to “face the consequences” if the PM participates in it. Congress and DMK have aligned in Tamil Nadu for the last two lok Sabha elections since 2004.
The major problem is that while the Central Government wants some kind of representation in the CHOGM, leaders from Tamil Nadu and more specifically Karunanidhi had reportedly asserted that there should not be any representation from India in the Colombo summit. This being a ticklish issue, specifically in the field of foreign relations, observers say that Chidambaram might have sensed the feelings of Karunanidhi in case India has to make some representation in the absence of the Prime Minister.
The fact that Karunanidhi too had not indicated the main subject of the talk between the two leaders clearly goes to show that the Centre wants a rethinking on part of the DMK chief.