DHAKA: A senior Indian minister on Monday urged prime minister Manmohan Singh to boycott a Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka over human rights abuses, joining opposition in government ranks to the trip.

India’s environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan said she wanted Singh to consider the ‘strong sentiments’ of ethnic Tamils and stay away from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Colombo next week.

‘I will write to the PM asking him to skip the Chogm meet,’ Natarajan told reporters in Tamil, comments that were translated into English by national television networks, reports The Straits Times.

‘I have requested a meeting with the PM. I want to convey the strong sentiments of people of Tamil Nadu on his Sri Lanka visit,’ she said.

BDST: 2011 HRS, NOV 04, 2013
RoR/SRS