Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to MDMK leader Vaiko to call off the protest against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's scheduled visit to Sanchi for laying the foundation stone of International Buddhist University.

In a letter to Vaiko, Chouhan said that function at Sanchi was completely apolitical.

It should be seen as an endeavour to promote peace and harmony among the Asian countries, the letter said.

The BJP leader assured Vaiko that he stood by the Tamils on the issue of human rights.

Madhya Pradesh government's objective in setting up a university at Sanchi was to "bring together various civilisations of the Asian countries", he said.
Dignitaries from Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Mangolia and Nepal have been invited to the program, the Chief Minister pointed out.

Vaiko, an ardent advocate for the rights of Tamil population in Sri Lanka, had recently written a letter to Chouhan requesting him to withdraw the invitation to Rajapaksa, as people in Tamil Nadu blamed the Lankan President for atrocities against Tamils in that country. (PTI )