LTTE strayed from peace path - Indian FM

Karaikudi (PTI): Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday said that the Centre only wanted Tamils in Sri Lanka to get equal opportunities.

Speaking to reporters here, he recalled the efforts taken by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to resolve the island’s ethnic issue and charged LTTE with being mainly responsible for the failure of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, as it had not cooperated for its implementation.

He claimed that he himself had told LTTE leader Prabhakaran that the ethnic strife could be resolved only through talks. “But LTTE strayed from the peace process,” he said.

Chidambaram refused to comment on the resignation threat of MPs from Tamil Nadu on the Sri Lankan issue and said the Union Government wanted Tamils and Sinhalese to live in peace in the island. He also denied that there was movement of LTTE elements in Tamil Nadu, as alleged by AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa.