Sonia shares platform with Karuna, says alliance is intact

Chennai, May 10 (PTI) Sharing a platform with Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday
skirted issues like demands for a separate Eelam in Sri Lanka
and sending of Indian Army to enable its creation and strongly
stood by the alliance with Dravida Munnetra Kazhgham (DMK) in
the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

With just a day left for the campaigning to the fifth and
final phase of polls, Gandhi addressed the sole election
meeting in Tamil Nadu with an ailing Karunanidhi by her side,
saying that the Sri Lankan Government had stopped combat
operations against Tamils in the northern war zone due to the
"resolute efforts" of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government.

She made no reference to carving out Tamil Eelam from Sri
Lanka, a demand raised by AIADMK and its allies which was
later joined by her ally DMK.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had Saturday rubbished the
talk of sending army to Sri Lanka, saying "it is not easy to
march armies into sovereign countries".

Sonia's affirmation of alliance with DMK came in the
backdrop of a flutter created by Rahul Gandhi who had called
Jayalaithaa a like-minded leader.

She expressed deep "pain and anguish at the serious and
heartbreaking plight of Tamil brothers and sisters and the
sufferings of innocent men, women, children and elders
(caught) in the crossfire," between army and LTTE in the
island nation.

Gandhi said Congress stood for equal rights and status
for the Tamils in Sri Lanka within the political framework of
the Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987.

"Our ultimate goal, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had
said and as has been the stand of the Congress in the last
30 years, is to secure for the Tamils equals rights and status
within the framework of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord," she
said.

"Our government had done everything possible to bring an
end to the hostilities and it was due to our resolute efforts
that Sri Lanka announced conclusion of combat operations and
people moved to safer places," Gandhi said.

The UPA was "determined" to ensure all remaining people
were moved to safe zones and carry on "our humanitarian work",
she added. PTI SNR
DEP