PM to take appropriate decision on participation in Commonwealth meet

still some time for India to take a decision on the Prime Minister's visit to Colombo, says Minister

In the wake of demands for India boycotting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting summit in Colombo, Minister of State for PMO V Narayanasamy today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will take an "appropriate" decision on participation in the event after looking into all relevant issues.

"The Prime Minister will weigh the pros and cons and then take a decision," he told reporters here when asked about India's participation in Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Sri Lanka next month.

Narayanasamy said there is still some time for India to take a decision on the Prime Minister's visit to Colombo.

"In any case, the meeting is in November," he said.

Asked about the demands of Tamil Nadu political parties to boycott the CHOGM, the Minister said Sri Lanka should allay the concerns raised by the political parties about Tamils living in the island nation.

"Sri Lankan government should respond positively to the concerns raised by Tamil Nadu politicians," he said.

Scaling up pressure on the Centre, Tamil Nadu assembly today passed a unanimous resolution demanding that India "completely" boycott CHGM in Sri Lanka next month and seek "temporary suspension" of the island nation from the grouping till it grants equal status to Tamils living there.