Over three years have passed since the fall of the LTTE and the failure of the Eelam war, but the Lankan Tamil issue continues to rage in multiple forms across the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu.
The latest provocation for the Tamil anger is the announcement that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is visiting India to lay the foundation stone of a Centre for Buddhist studies at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh on September 21, at the invitation of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj—she had been to Sri Lanka recently at his invitation.
All the political parties in Tamil Nadu have protested against Rajapaksa’s coming. He has done precious little to rehabilitate the war-displaced Tamils languishing in camps in the island, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa has repeatedly pointed out. DMK president M. Karunanidhi too has opposed the Lankan President’s trip, while MDMK general secretary Vaiko has even threatened to lead a black-flag demonstration at Sanchi on Sept 21.
“It is paradoxical that Rajapaksa was invited for this function; Buddha not only preached peace and tolerance but also practised it”, said Vaiko, referring to the charges of war crimes against Colombo and the continued subjugation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
“Sushma Swaraj’s announcement amounts to adding insult to injury to Tamils. BJP president Nitin Gadkari and leaders like Yashwant Sinha who have a genuine concern for the Lankan Tamils must take steps to cancel the invitation extended to Rajapaksa. If not, I will lead a black flag demonstration at Sanchi on Sept. 21,” Vaiko said in a statement here on Monday.
Urging BJP’s top brass against entertaining the Lankan President, Vaiko recalled that former Prime Minister and BJP veteran A.B. Vajpayee was compassionate towards the Lankan Tamils but Ms Swaraj and the Madhya Pradesh government had chosen to act against the Tamil interest now.
VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan too has demanded that the BJP leaders withdraw invitation to Rajapaksa, arguing that it was a gesture hugely insulting the Tamils.
Meanwhile, the DMK in a statement said its parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu and Rajya Sabha MPs Tiruchy Siva and Ms Kanimozhi raised slogans in the Parliament protesting against the training of Sri Lankan military personnel at Indian defence establishments. This issue has been agitating all the political leaders in Tamil Nadu in recent months.
In New Delhi, the CPI national secretary A.Raja dashed off a letter to defence minister A.K. Antony explaining the opposition to the Lankan military men getting trained in India. It was “highly deplorable” that instead of taking note of the strong feelings in TN over the issue, the minister of state for defence M.M. Pallam Raju had insisted that the training would continue, Raja said.