Declare Rajapakse a war criminal: Jayalalithaa tells Centre

Chennai, May 13 (PTI): Set to form the next government in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa today said the Centre should declare Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa a “war criminal” for the “genocide” of Tamils in the island nation.

India should come out with economic sanctions against Sri Lanka to compel the government to take steps to mitigate the sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils and provide them “an honourable and decent life,” she told Jaya TV.

She said the State Government’s role on Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue was limited and it was for the Centre to do something for the betterment of the Tamils.

Jayalalithaa, whose party led front scored a spectacular victory in the assembly polls, said her first priority would be to restore the state to its prime position in the country.