India is a functional democracy not a one family rule. So much so, the federal government cannot make its policies in a vacuum. It has to factor in the mood and sentiments of its people and the policy thus formulated reflects the will of the nation. It is a time consuming process of consultation and may appear as a frustrating exercise to the uninitiated. But it is worth the effort since there can be no instant way out to as complex and vexed issue as the Lankan Tamil imbroglio. Foreign Minister Salman Kursheed made this point when he told an angry parliament, “We will take into account the views of the MPs, the developments on the ground, what Sri Lankan government has done and what the other nations have said before taking a decision on the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.”

Voting in Geneva takes place on March 21.

The mood during the four-hour debate was deeply hostile towards Sri Lanka as allegations of torture and rape inflamed sentiments. The Minister has held out no commitment while balancing popular sentiment and diplomatic requirements, but said India has demanded an independent inquiry into reported abuse of human rights of Tamils. Delhi, he said, told Colombo that the death of LTTE leader V Prabhakaran and members of his family should also be investigated.

Kursheed made another point. It is that India doesn’t play the policeman of the world or the big brother in any country. This remark may be of some comfort to Colombo even as it is worried about the way the vote would go at UNHRC.

The US on Feb 7 circulated a draft resolution against Sri Lanka, which, as media reports pointed out, has several intrusive provisions. Noting that Rajapksa regime has failed to “honour its public commitments, including on devolution of political authority”, the resolution seconds the call by high commissioner for human rights for the “establishment of a truth-seeking mechanism as an integral part of a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to transitional justice”.

If adopted and implemented, it would open up external intrusion into Lanka’s internal affairs. India is always opposed to such interference. Whatever be its failings, Sri Lanka cannot be pushed around. It must be consulted, advised and brought around since at the end of the day the ethnic issue and its aftermath are problems that must be addressed and resolved by itself to the satisfaction of its own people and in its national interest. This more or less is the stand of Sri Lankan diplomats who are articulating their views on the sidelines of UNHRC.