Speaker apologies to Lankan delegation

Embarrassed over All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam members shouting slogans against a visiting Parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka, Speaker Meira Kumar on Monday expressed anguish about the incident and offered her "sincere apologies" for it.

"She expressed anguish and offered sincere apologies over slogan shouting by some Members of Parliament in the House when the visiting delegation was witnessing the proceedings of the Lok Sabha," a Lok Sabha Secretariat release said.

She made the remarks when the high-level delegation led by Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa called on her in New Delhi.

In Lok Sabha, AIADMK members led by M Thambidurai started raising slogans on the plight of Lankan Tamils when Kumar introduced the visitors.

Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta asked Thambidurai and his party colleague P Lingam to take their seats.

During the interaction, Kumar said the visit of the Sri Lankan Parliamentary delegation would create new avenues of cooperation between the two countries.

Observing that parliamentary exchanges play an important role in strengthening the bilateral relationship, she emphasised on greater engagement between the two Parliaments.

She hoped that there would be comprehensive engagement between India and Sri Lanka to ameliorate the social and economic profile of the people and to find a dignified solution to the problems of the internally displaced people of Sri Lanka.

Rajapaksa, responding to the sentiments expressed by the Lok Sabha Speaker, stated that India and Sri Lanka share many cultural and social commonalities. Both the countries should make sincere efforts in facilitating enhanced cooperation in areas of mutual interest, he said.