The Centre on Thursday said military aid to Sri Lanka was not aimed at escalating the conflict in the island nation but part of India's strategic policy to remain a dominant power in the Indian Ocean region.
"One of the reasons we give aid and platform and radar and things like that is to make sure that we are the dominant powers in the Indian Ocean Region," Union Minister of State for Defence, M M Pallam Raju told reporters in Begaluru.
"And we will try to keep it that way (remain a dominant power in the region)", he said responding to questions on the governments' stand on the resolution adopted at an-all party meeting in Tamil Nadu on October 14 asking the Centre to stop military aid to Sri Lanka.
The meeting, convened by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and boycotted by major opposition parties, also set a fortnight's
deadline for the Centre to take action to stop the ongoing offensive by Sri Lankan Army in that country's north, failing which MPs from Tamil Nadu would resign.
Raju said the aid to Sri Lanka was intended not to escalate conflict in the island nation. "India is working towards reducing the conflict there and finding a solution acceptable to both (Sri Lankan Government and Tamils) and as a nation (India) it was conscious about human rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
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