CHOGM has created a further divide with A .K. Antony joining Chidambaram and G K Vasan in the bid to stop Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from attending it.

CHOGM will be held next week in Sri Lanka. The resistance of three of the senior colleagues in the cabinet would change the mind of the PM.

Defence minister AK Antony joins Finance minister P Chidambaram and Shipping minister GK Vasan to oppose the external affairs ministry and top foreign policy advisers who want Singh to attend the crucial biennial CHOGM in Colombo. Their argument is that the PM should respect the feelings of many Indian Tamils who see Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government of crushing the LTTE-led Tamil movement by the widespread human rights violation.

The Tamil Nadu assembly had already passed a unanimous resolution against the PM’s participation in the CHOGM meet on November 15-17.

While Chidambaram and Vasan’s opposition can be understood as both are MPs from TN, Antony’s opposition gives the duo’s view more weight. The defence minister said that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) should consider the feelings of nine crore Tamils worldwide. These politicians argue that the PM’s visit will break ties with Congress chief ally in the state, DMK, a party that aggressively advocates the Tamil cause.

The argument that Sri Lanka will get closer towards China if the PM does not attend CHOGM is immature. India as the closest neighbour of Sri Lanka will have same ties and Colombo will continue to play the China card against India, said a CCS minister.

National security advisor and the ministry of external affairs say Mahinda Rajapaksa kept up to his promise to India of holding elections in the Northern Province and even sent the 13th amendment to the parliamentary select committee for the proposed dilution, which gives a certain degree of autonomy to the Tamil minority.

The PM’s foreign policy advisers say he should use CHOGM to raise the Tamil minority issue, inaugurate a railway line and a rehabilitation housing scheme in the north province and address the Tamil people in Jaffna.

Northern Province chief minister CV Vigneswaran has invited the PM to his province. Vigneswaran is attending CHOGM. Foreign policy advisor says India should engage Sri Lanka and not let it drift into the hands of China.