Against the backdrop of hawkish demands and street protests, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam-led government on Friday lashed out at the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, for not responding to the two-day ceasefire by the Sri Lankan government in the northern areas, to enable the safe passage of ethnic Tamils caught in the conflict zone.
DMK, which has been turning the heat on the Centre to talk to Colombo to stop innocent Tamils becoming victims in the crossfire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan security forces, said the LTTE had failed to reciprocate to the 48-hour ceasefire announced by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Protesting lawyers burnt copies of newspapers carrying photographs of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, accusing them of not working in the best interests of the affected Tamils.
Work in courts came to a standstill as lawyers commenced an indefinite call to boycott courts.
The Sri Lankan Tamil issue figured prominently in the state assembly with Finance Minister and DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan saying the LTTE had had not given any word on the safe passage of Tamils in the conflict zone.
Projecting a tough stand against LTTE, the Congress asserted in the assembly that it won't relent till the Tigers' Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, a proclaimed offender in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was arrested, extradited and prosecuted in India.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko, in a statement, said the ceasefire was only aimed at fooling the world.
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