Vaiko meets PM, satisfied on aid

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 13. The MDMK leader, Mr. Vaiko, expressed himself to be ``satisfied'' with the $100-million ``credit'' the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, had promised Sri Lanka during his visit to Colombo. After Mr. Singh's announcement on Tuesday, an agitated Mr. Vaiko had sought a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, to seek a clarification about the Government's rationale. Mr. Vaiko met the Prime Minister this evening in the presence of Mr. Singh and other senior officials. Mr. Vaiko was heard attentively. Like the PMK, the MDMK leader expressed reservations about the loan.

It was explained to the MDMK leader that the ``line of credit'' would not be used by the Sri Lankan Government to buy weapons, and hence it could not be argued that the Vajpayee Government was deviating from the stated policy which the NDA constituents had endorsed. It was also explained to Mr. Vaiko that there would be counter trade between India and Sri Lanka in the matter of rice and sugar.

The Vajpayee Government and the BJP leadership are not unmindful of the southern allies' need to strike a somewhat deviant note on Sri Lanka. The latest noises of the PMK and the MDMK are being viewed understandingly as their need to pander to the ``constituency back home''.

The BJP spokesperson, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, had politely dismissed as ``personal view'' the reported reservations of the southern allies on the outcome of the External Affairs Minister's Colombo visit. Mr. Naidu suggested that such personal views would not be allowed to hinder the Sri Lankan policy. Mr. Naidu was merely reflecting the confidence the Vajpayee establishment feels about its ability to carry the allies along on Sri Lanka.

In fact, after his 45-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Vaiko repeated to newspersons almost all the arguments the Ministry of External Affairs had bandied in defence of Mr. Singh's Colombo visit. If Mr. Vaiko was satisfied with the ``explanations'' he heard, the Vajpayee establishment was also satisfied with the way Mr. Vaiko was handled.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : Naidu denies he issued withdrawal threat
Next     : Hijacked vessel reaches Mumbai