India's Tamil parties push for UN resolution on Sri Lanka

GlobalPost
The World

India's Tamil parties disrupted parliament with a call for the country to espouse its official support for a UN resolution against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes.

But the response was disappointing, to say the least.

'“Our traditional stand has been that we have never supported any country-specific resolution at the UNHCHR,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha as DMK, AIADMK and CPI members rushed to the Well raising slogans on the issue,' India's Tamil Nadu-based Hindu newspaper reported.

Translation: In other words, we were wrong before, so we'd prefer to be wrong again, because this kind of wrong doesn't really get you into trouble. It's like abstaining, which we do now that we have a guest spot on the UN Security Council.

That said, no date has been fixed as yet for discussing the resolution against Sri Lanka moved by France, Norway and the U.S. at Geneva-based UNHCHR and the stand can be decided in due course, according to the finance minister. 

Translation: Maybe everybody else will sign up first so no one will notice our stance.

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