After a request from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravdia Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the Centre has decided to convene an all-party meeting on the situation in Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi sent an invitation to floor leaders of all political parties in both the Houses of Parliament on the meeting and said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will brief them on the “present situation in Sri Lanka” on Tuesday. He conveyed this decision of the Centre also at an all-party meeting held here on Sunday.
DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and written letters on the issue of humanitarian assistance to the economic crisis-hit island nation. On Sunday, the DMK and AIADMK urged the Centre to intervene in the crisis to help the neighbouring country. DMK leader in the Lok Sabha T. R. Baalu said India should intervene to address the situation. Senior AIADMK leader and MP in the Rajya Sabha and former Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha, M. Thambidurai, also demanded that the country should intervene to resolve the crisis in Sri Lanka.
Recently, Mr. Modi had said in Chennai that India is providing all possible support to Sri Lanka, a close friend and neighbour. “This includes financial support, fuel, food, medicine and other essential items,” the PM said. During his meeting with Mr. Modi, Mr. Stalin had submitted a detailed memorandum on the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and the measures his government had taken to help migrants. Many Opposition parties and economists had also asked the Centre to learn from the situation in Sri Lanka and address the economic problems in the country.
Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had thanked Mr. Stalin for his gesture. “I wish to thank you and the Tamil Nadu Government on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka, for viewing the country’s crisis from a humanitarian standpoint, rather than as a problem concerning another country,” Mr. Rajapaksa wrote in a letter to Mr. Stalin.
