Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Sunday urged the Indian government to put pressure on Colombo not to axe or dilute a constitutional provision that ensures autonomy to provinces and minorities.

In a letter to Manmohan Singh, she asked New Delhi to "take all possible steps to bring pressure to bear upon the Sri Lankan government not to take any steps to repeal or even dilute the 13th amendment in any manner".

She said India should make sure that the process of democratic decentralization, which is vital to the survival of Tamils in Sri Lanka, was in no way jeopardized.
India, Jayalalithaa said, should "take a bold stand in support of (Sri) Lankan Tamils".

The 13th amendment in the Sri Lankan constitution was carried out with Indian backing in the 1980s to ensure autonomy to provinces and by extension to the Tamils in the island's north and east.

But the regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has threatened to dilute its provisions, causing dismay in India.

Jayalalitha said while the aspirations of the Sri Lankan Tamils can be realised only through an independent Tamil Eelam, the process of securing the right to self determination, through democratic decentralization, should not be derailed.

"There are disturbing signs that the Sri Lankan government is not serious about rehabilitating and restoring the lives of the Tamil minority."

Referring to Rajapaksa's announcement to set up a Parliamentary Select Committee to review the 13th amendment, Jayalalithaa said the worst fears regarding the Colombo government were coming true.

"The hawkish Sinhalese rightwing groups have been resorting to agitations and protests to pressure the government to repeal the 13th amendment prior to the election to the northern provincial council proposed in September."

She said Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a brother of the president, had called for the repeal of the 13th amendment.

She said Sri Lankan minister Basil Rajapaksa recently met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid "presumably to justify their stand in this matter".

According to Jayalalithaa, Sri Lanka was never serious about devolving power to the Tamils and had gone back on its promises.

"The de-merger of the (north-eastern province) has to be construed as a serious setback to the Indo-Sri Lankan accord and, perhaps, as a sinister first step leading to the eventual abrogation and repeal of the 13th amendment."(IANS)