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‘It was an uprising just waiting to happen’

The man who started it all, P Waythamoorthy, leader of Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force), has sneaked out of Malaysia to lobby support for his cause in India.

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P Waythamoorthy sued the British for four trillion pounds and set off the ethnic Indian protest in Malaysia

CHENNAI: The man who started it all, P Waythamoorthy, leader of Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force), has sneaked out of Malaysia to lobby support for his cause in India. He is seeking to cash in on the concern in this country over the Malaysian police’s crackdown on the protesting ethnic Indians in Kuala Lumpur. Between his meetings with politicos and opinion makers, Waythamoorthy, the man who sued the British government for four trillion pounds for the “exploitation of Indians for 150 years”, spoke to DNA in a nondescript lodging house in Chennai. Excerpts:

How did you manage to come to India amidst all the drama in Malaysia?
It was a decision I took in two hours. I knew if I stayed back, I will be arrested and the movement will collapse. Eventually I will be arrested, but I need time to lobby for my cause. I want to meet all the Tamil leaders including M Karunanidhi (Tamil Nadu chief minister), J Jayalalithaa (AIADMK leader), Vaiko (MDMK) and Vijaykanth (DMDMK)

What led to the Sunday protest?
For 50 years, ethnic Indians were being oppressed and denied equal rights in education, jobs, government tenders, just anything. At least I0,000 Hindu temples were demolished.

I founded Hindraf to protest against the temple demolitions. On August 30, I filed a civil suit against the British government (the British took Indians to Malaysia to work in plantations in the late 19th Century). From then on, I started mobilising people for the cause. Sunday’s was an uprising that has been waiting to happen.

Your rallyists were carrying posters of Gandhi, but your situation is similar to that of Sri Lankan Tamils. Which path would you take?
I prefer the path of non-violence. But I don’t rule out the possibility of the protest turning violent in the future, though I hope it does not. I was arrested before the rally and I turned down bail, giving out a Gandhian message. That is when the protesters decided to sport Gandhi’s posters.

Will you seek or take support from the LTTE?
I will not seek the support of the LTTE and I hope the LTTE will not offer its support to me.

Is this ‘Hindu’ tag being a problem in getting support from Dravidian leaders like Karunanidhi?
I have no regrets in having the word in the name. I started Hindraf to stop demolition of temples. Now, we have taken up a bigger cause for which we will seek everyone’s support. Turn to back page, p24

Do Muslims and Christians of Indian origin (who constitute about 25 per cent of the Indian population in Malaysia) support you?
Yes, but not in the open.

The issue was raised in the Lok Sabha. What do you expect from India?
We want India to take up the issue with the UN and also drag the Malaysian government to the International Court of Justice.

Q: Where do you go from here?
A: I will be in India for a few days before leaving for London and Geneva to lobby for international support for our cause.

Q: And your organisation?
A: Hindraf is still just 20-member strong. The protesters came on their own. I have no plans to make it a political party, but the struggle will continue.

 

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