Chidambaram hopeful of India's support to US resolution against Lanka

Seeking to reach out to ally DMK which has threatened to pull out of UPA government on Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said India should support the US resolution against Lanka in UNHRC if it called for an independent and reliable probe into the alleged war crimes in the island nation in 2009. "My sentiments, your sentiments, and the sentiments of all Tamils is that if the resolution contains such a demand, India should support and vote in favour of it," he said, hoping there would be 'good news' and people should wait till March 22 (when the vote is to take place in UNHRC). "There will be good news, good news. Maintain patience till then. I am confident and I am giving you this positive feeling, continue spreading this among all till March 22," he said at a meeting organised by local Congress in Karaikudi in his native Sivaganga district late last night. Chidambaram's remarks, the first by a senior Congress leader and a Cabinet minister, assume significance as it came two days after DMK chief M Karunanidhi threatened to pull out of the government if India did not push for amendments to the US resolution in UNHRC to seek an independent probe into the 'war crimes'. Aware of the growing anti-Sri Lanka student protests over the issue with a massive showdown planned by them on March 20, Chidambaram asked the partymen to spread the positive sentiment among the students also. With DMK upping the ante, the government yesterday sought to placate its regional ally with Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy saying a final decision on a US resolution will be taken keeping in mind the emotions of people of Tamil Nadu. With 18 MPs in Lok Sabha, DMK had said yesterday it was yet to get a response to its demand for an amended resolution against Sri Lanka. "We have given necessary pressure...So far, there is no response," Karunanidhi had said yesterday.