NEW DELHI: In a clear embarrassment to India, two key political parties promoting ethnic Tamil interests have dropped out of an Indian parliamentary delegation visiting Sri Lanka, which until recently was stricken with war and conflict between the government and Tamil settlers. A delegation of Indian MPs has embarked on the six day visit to Sri Lanka to keep track of developmental projects sponsored by India in the war and conflict-stricken region and to understand the contemporary realities of the region. Led by leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, the delegation also comprises of a cross section of India's political leadership, barring leaders from Tamil Nadu's two key parties namely the DMK and they AIADMK, which have pulled out of the delegation in protest. “There were examples in the past that tell us that such delegations would not serve any useful purpose. Therefore, the DMK will not be part of the delegation,” DMK president M. Karunanidhi and incidentally an ally in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the Center said, ruling out any representation in the delegation. DMK's rival Tamil party, the AIADMK has expressed a similar sentiment. India's Tamil parties were overt and not-so-over supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE), which had been engaged in conflict and war with the Sri Lankan government for over two decades over the issue of carving out a separate State for the Tamil dominated region in nothern Sri Lanka. The conflict, which claimed thousands of lives ended with the capture and killing of LTTE supremo Prabhakaran a few years back. The Indian delegation tours Sri Lanka between April 16 and 21 and will meet Lankan government representatives as well as a cross spectrum of political parties from the island nation. The team of parliamentarians will also inspect various Indian projects in Sri Lanka, which includes a railway system enhancement project and a housing project for war affected ethnic Tamils.
