New Delhi, March 18
The UPA government today launched a damage-control exercise on two fronts — political and diplomatic — by rushing senior ministers AK Antony, P Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad to meet DMK chief M Karunanidhi and summoning Indian envoy to Geneva for urgent consultation on the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council.

With the DMK chief stepping up the pressure on the Manmohan Singh government to move amendments to the resolution seeking an international probe into “genocide” by Sri Lankan troops against Tamils in the last phase of the anti-LTTE war in 2009, the UPA decided to rush the three senior-most political leaders - known to have an equation with Karunanidhi — to Chennai for talks.

After the meeting that lasted over an hour, Azad said they discussed the content of the letter written by Karunanidhi to the Prime Minister and took note of suggestions offered by him. The Union Ministers drove straight down from the airport to meet Karunanidhi and took a flight back to the national capital by late evening.

The Congress high command had last time sent Defence Minister AK Antony to speak to the 88-year-old Karunanidhi to sound him out on the party's choice for presidential elections. Chidambaram, who represents Sivaganga constitutency in Tamil Nadu, enjoys a good rapport with the DMK chief while Azad is in charge of party affairs in the state.

The move came a day after Karunanidhi characterised as “lukewarm” the response of New Delhi to his demand and threatened to snap ties with the UPA. Earlier, he had threatened to pull out his ministers from the Manmohan Singh Cabinet.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had on Sunday said the UPA government would have a discusssion with the DMK before taking a final decision on the UN vote. Karunanidhi has been insisting that New Delhi should move an amendment on its own.

• The UPA rushed AK Antony, P Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad, all known to have an equation with Karunanidhi, to Chennai for talks
• After the meeting that lasted over an hour, Azad said they discussed the content of the letter written by Karunanidhi to the PM and took note of suggestions offered by him
• The move came a day after Karunanidhi characterised as “lukewarm” the response of New Delhi to his demand and threatened to snap ties with the UPA