Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay sparked controversy on Saturday after pledging to intervene in resolving the Sri Lankan Tamil issue while praising late LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Indian media reported.
The Sri Lankan Tamil question remains politically sensitive in Tamil Nadu, where thousands of refugees fled during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The LTTE, banned in India since the 1990s, fought for a separate Tamil state until its defeat in 2009, when Prabhakaran was killed by Sri Lanka’s army.
Speaking at an election rally in Nagapattinam, Vijay described Prabhakaran as “like a mother” to Eelam Tamils, saying, “Our umbilical-cord kin are suffering after losing a leader who showed them motherly affection. It is our duty to raise our voice for them.”
Vijay has previously expressed solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils, including joining a hunger strike in 2008 against civilian killings in Sri Lanka. However, he clarified that support for Tamils should not be equated with support for the LTTE, which is outlawed in India.
Prabhakaran and his top aide Pottu Amman were accused of orchestrating the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a Sri Lankan Tamil suicide bomber. India subsequently banned the LTTE, which had earlier received tacit backing from New Delhi in the 1970s and 1980s.
Alongside his remarks on Prabhakaran, Vijay also promised to address the longstanding fishermen’s dispute between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, accusing the DMK government of failing to act. “We are not like the DMK that only writes long letters. Finding a solution to this issue is one of our key agendas,” he said.
