‘Pulling out of UPA has not changed anything for Tamils’

DMK president M Karunanidhi on Thursday said pulling out of UPA on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue has not changed anything for 'Eelam Tamils' though he insisted his party was not bothered about withdrawing support to the coalition.

"DMK has now come out of Central government as desired by some persons including (chief minister) Jayalalithaa. So what has happened? Has there been an end to problems of Eelam Tamils? Did India bring in amendments to US resolution (at UNHRC)? Or has it adopted a resolution in Parliament with amendments?" he said in a letter to partymen.

"The only thing to have happened was DMK quitting Central government. But DMK is least bothered about that," he said.

On criticism that his party should have walked out of the UPA alliance in 2009 when the hostilities were at the peak as that could have prevented further killing of Lankan Tamils, he said it was an effort to put blame on his party.

He said those aware of history would not accept something on the basis of guesswork.

Hitting back at Jayalalithaa for accusing him of duplicity on Lankan Tamils issue, he made a similar accusation against her.

Defending himself against Jayalalithaa's charge that he failed to do anything for Lankan Tamils, the 88-year-old leader said people of Tamil Nadu were aware of his activities in this regard since 1956, but did not elaborate.

"Have the people forgotten that Jayalalithaa (moved and) adopted a resolution seeking extradition of (slain) LTTE chief V Prabakaran in 2002," he said.

On her charge that DMK will not like to "snap ties" with the Centre, he said she was waiting for an opportunity for the government to fall so that she "can become Prime Minister."

Pointing out that senior DMK leader K Anbazhagan had said DMK would not topple the government at the Centre, Jayalalithaa had said, "by looking at Karunanidhi remaining silent, it looks like that he will not like to snap ties with the Centre." The DMK chief charged Jayalalithaa with 'duplicity', saying while she supported Sethusamudram project initially she was now opposing it as was the case with Cauvery River Authority which, he said, she had described as 'toothless.(PTI)