M. Karunanidhi Started hunger Strike against cruel acts

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has announced his indefinite hunger strike to protest "cruel acts" against Tamils in Sri Lanka and demanded an immediate ceasefire in the island nation.

Karunanidhi told that Home Minister P Chidambaram has assured her of resolving crisis in Sri Lanka and she is very concerned about the situation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Already an emotional issue in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Lankan Tamil tangle assumed further importance after AIADMK general secretary Jayalalitha said Saturday that the establishment of a separate ‘Eelam’ homeland was the only solution for the tamil minority in the island.

Last week, National Security Adviser M.K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon visited Sri Lanka and urged Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and his government to work towards declaring a truce in the closing chapter of a 25-year war in which nearly 6,500 civilians have lost their lives since February 2009.

The chief minister’s daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, former union minister Dayanidhi Maran, and local administration minister M.K. Stalin were among those who visited the DMK chief at the site.

During the conversation, Singh assured Karunanidhi that his government was in constant touch with the Sri Lankan government, pressurising it to announce a ceasefire and provide humanitarian aid to the Sri Lankan Tamils, sources said.