Sushma Swaraj to lead all-party team to Sri Lanka next month

The Indian government is planning to send an all-party delegation, led by Lok Sabha opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, to Sri Lanka next month.  According to PTI, the aim of their tour is to press for stopping all atrocities against Lankan Tamils and also look into their living conditions after the end of the LTTE.

Swaraj has told reporters that the all-party delegation’s visit to Sri Lanka is very much on and is tentatively scheduled from April 16 to 21.

The Bharathiya Janatha Party has nominated Prahlad Joshi from the Lok Sabha and M. Venkaiah Naidu from the Rajya Sabha as its representatives in the delegation.

BJP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, S.S. Ahluwalia had first made the suggestion in December in Parliament that an all-party delegation should be sent to Sri Lanka to learn about the conditions of the Tamils after the LTTE was decimated and its chief V. Prabhakaran killed.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had welcomed the suggestion in the Rajya Sabha and later made a statement in the Lok Sabha endorsing the idea.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal is said to be working on finalising the details of the visit, including the list of MPs who would be part of the delegation.

Swaraj said she is hopeful the trip would take place.

The delegation was to leave for Colombo on February 11 but due to the Assembly elections in five states and other factors, the trip was
SLM