India offers Sarkaria panel formula for Lanka crisis

With the bloody conflict raging in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the LTTE, India has pitched in to help by offering a political formula to resolve the crisis.

With the bloody conflict raging in Sri Lanka between the government forces and the LTTE, India has pitched in to help by offering a political formula to resolve the crisis.

India has offered a devolution formula, based on the Sarkaria Commission’s recommendations, which could take care of the interests and aspirations of all sections of the society of the island nation, official sources said.

New Delhi has suggested that Sri Lanka look at the Indian model of governance, where there is a clear-cut distribution of power between the Centre and the states, they said.

Story continues below this ad

In this context, a copy of the Sarkaria Commission Report, which has an elaborate definition of devolution of powers, has been given to the Sri Lankan government. New Delhi has also conveyed its readiness to provide constitutional experts to help Colombo reframe the Constitution. Other kinds of political help is also on offer.

The offer comes in the midst of increasing demands here that India should do something to help end the two-decade-old conflict in Sri Lanka, which is again becoming bloody after a brief lull.