As much as India loves to see the 13th amendment being implemented, Sri Lanka seems to have long lost its interest in the constitutional provision, designed to please the former than to comfort the Sri Lankan Tamils. After all, Sri Lanka cannot be blamed entirely for its lethargy or lack of trust placed in the amendment, as the last time when it went by India's word and combined the North and East into one administrative unit, Varatharajah Perumal almost made the Tamil Eelam a reality.

Knowing well the outcome of the last time's effort, the visiting Indian Parliamentary delegation headed by the opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, in a discussion on Tuesday insisted that a lasting solution to the national issue should be found based on the 13th amendment.

Meanwhile, DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi had told the media that India should take up efforts in the United Nations to hold a referendum in Sri Lanka to create the Tamil Eelam. Perhaps, it is time New Delhi educates him on the territorial boundaries of India and respecting the sovereignty of other countries. Having Sri Lanka in a close proximity does not give him the supremacy to dictate terms to Colombo or New Delhi on the island nation's internal matters.

After all, Sri Lanka is not the wishing well of the Tamil Nadu politicians nor is North a foster state of South India.

This is the head of the same DMK which withdrew from the parliamentary delegation on a visit to Sri Lanka that cries for a Tamil Eelam in the guise of comforting the Tamil people who have been suppressed and ignored. Hence, the question as to how could he cry for their agonies when his party was not even ready to land on the territory of the so-called miseries, is worth pursuing. The move goes to show that DMK'S bigheartedness was not intense enough to send a party member nor was it ready to come to terms with the fact that the situation in the North is not as bad as the picture the party has painted for the Tamil Nadu voters. Misconceptions are harder to shed, when they are planted and nurtured perpetually. For DMK it is necessary to keep the cries alive, as the Tamil community in the Northern Sri Lanka is its bait for votes.

This does not however give the Sri Lankan government immunity to ill-treat or be indifferent to the cries of the Northern citizenry. Though, President in his victory day speech said that there would be no more minorities, his government has lost the enthusiasm and commitment in the effort of eliminating the unjust stratification. It has lost sight of the target and the speed in which it stepped on the route to reconciliation.

The US can pass many resolutions in Geneva and India can keep supporting them for obvious reasons. Yet, taking action for the welfare of the Northern citizenry solely lies in the hands of those who govern this land. Sustaining peace is hard task and the government cannot run on promises alone. It needs to fulfil them; specially, when a pledge has been made to implement the LLRC recommendations. If the government can be efficient in its reconciliation efforts, Sri Lanka need not surrender to the international pressure, nor should it be affected by the coaxing of India.

If people are willing to be healed and those who rule are willing to be healers, we can have the cake, and eat it too.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka