Karunanidhi’s conniption
March 19, 2013, 8:08 pmThe Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has pulled out of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in a bid to coerce India into voting against Sri Lanka in Geneva. But, the Congress claims that the government remains stable in spite of the DMK’s withdrawal and Karunanidhi says he is willing to return to the UPA’s fold if the government gives in to his party’s demand without watering down or tweaking the US resolution on Sri Lanka.
Tamil Nadu politicians’ anti-Sri Lankan frenzy has found expression in violence. The past few weeks have seen a series of organised attacks on Mihin Lanka office, a branch of a Sri Lankan bank and two Buddhist monks in Tamil Nadu. At this rate no Sri Lankan will be safe in that state unless he or she is pro-LTTE. Some attempts have been made to blame those attacks on fringe groups. But, the truth appears to be otherwise. They obviously have the blessings of Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa. Else, they would not have made bold to carry out those attacks openly.
It is not difficult to see through the pro-LTTE Tamil Nadu politicians’ strategy. They are all out to ruin Indo-Lanka relations as the first step towards pitting New Delhi against Colombo the way they did in the early 1980s, when the Indira Gandhi government harboured, trained and financed Sri Lanka’s terrorists. Thirty years on, the Centre has again become a prisoner of Tamil Nadu and placed itself at the beck and call of Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa et al who are promoting the LTTE’s cause by being party to the on-going US-led diplomatic offensive against Sri Lanka.
The government of Sri Lanka must, no doubt, take steps to ensure the safety of Sri Lanka’s commercial interests, diplomatic missions and citizens in India. It is coming under tremendous pressure from its coalition partners to issue another travel advisory to warn Sri Lankans against visiting Tamil Nadu. However the advisability of such action needs to be discussed further. It is imperative that Colombo tread cautiously on this issue without antagonising India for what some fanatics in the garb of politicians have done in Tamil Nadu.
JHU firebrand and Minister Champika Ranawaka, on Monday, called for preventing Sri Lankans from visiting Tamil Nadu and stopping people of that state from coming here. His consternation is understandable. But, the fact remains that all Sri Lankans are quite au fait with the situation in Tamil Nadu; they are visiting that part of India at their own risk. The people of Tamil Nadu must, on no account, be debarred from visiting this country. Even Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi and Vaiko must be able to come here and see for themselves the situation. The problem is that they do not care to do so. Instead, they prefer to conjure up bogeymen across the Palk Strait to cover up their failure at home.
The Congress-led government stands dazed and weak-kneed, unable to tell its coalition parties from Tamil Nadu where to get off. It is pandering to their whims and fancies for expediency. In so doing, it has compromised the writ of the state which has apparently ceased to run in Tamil Nadu, where not even the statues of the late Premier Rajiv Gandhi are spared. Interestingly, though India is referred to in textbooks as a country with a quasi federal structure, Tamil Nadu has emerged so powerful by exploiting the Sri Lanka issue that it is now in a position to hold the Centre to ransom and shape the country’s foreign policy! The tail is wagging the dog! Strangely, India has chosen to take it all lying down.
Karunanidhi must be quite confident that the Manmohan Singh government will vote for the US resolution against Sri Lanka in Geneva again. It has reportedly agreed to bring in two resolutions in Parliament to placate the DMK. Otherwise, Karunanidhi would never have pulled out of the government risking his political fortunes; the DMK is likely to rejoin the UPA shortly.
Congress Party Leader Sonia Gandhi has, in a bid to appease her Tamil Nadu allies on the warpath, called for a credible investigation into allegations of human rights violations against Sri Lanka. Her concerns about human rights in this country should be appreciated in spite of her deafening silence on Kashmir. Shouldn’t she, first of all, ensure that the rights of all Sri Lankans visiting Tamil Nadu are protected? If she, as the eminence grise behind the Indian government, cannot keep her coalition partners on a tight leash and guarantee the safety of Sri Lankan civilians on Indian soil in peacetime what moral right does she have to speak of alleged human rights violations in other countries in times of conflagrations?
island.lk