Bid to whip up sympathy for Lankan Tamils, LTTE

As Sri Lankan army continued to make heavy inroads into LTTE held areas, some political parties in Tamil Nadu are trying to generate a sympathy wave in the state for the civilian Tamils, caught in the war zone, and also for the proscribed militant outfit.
  
While, all political parties are unanimous in their view that the Centre should take efforts to save the Tamils, caught in the cross fire in the war between the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE, they differed on the support to the LTTE.
  
Pro-LTTE PMK, MDMK, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Tamils National Movement, headed by P Nedumaran, and the CPI have recently launched the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement (SLTPM) and gave a call for a general strike on Feb 4 to press their demand for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
  
People of the state had sympathised with the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils and LTTE in the past, but the situation had changed after the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991 by the outfit.
  
The ruling DMK had come out openly in support of the Centre's initiative for saving the Tamils in the island, but had refrained itself from supporting the LTTE and had even slammed the organisation of late.
  
The DMK's stand on the banned outfit in fact changed after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Before the killing, the party supported the LTTE as it saw the organisation as the only forum, which could fight for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils. But the party had distanced itself from the outfit post-Rajiv assassination.

On the other hand, AIADMK has been consistent in opposing the LTTE and its supremo Jayalalithaa had often claimed credit for the ban on the organisation in the country.
   
As chief minister, she had written to the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao recommending a ban on the LTTE in 1991.
   
With the Sri Lankan Army keeping up the momentum of its latest effort to 'liberate' the LTTE held areas, parties like the MDMK, PMK and VCK, vocal supporters of the LTTE, had been demanding a ceasefire in that country and wanted India to arrange for a dialogue between LTTE and the island government.
   
MDMK had accused the Centre of extending military help to Sri Lanka by supplying radars, arms and ammunitions, which it said were being used by the island government to 'annihilate' the Tamil race, which had settled there 2,000 years back.
   
The general strike call had also brought to fore differences in the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance of which the PMK and VCK are members.
   
Citing Supreme Court's order in the bandh case, the DMK government had described the proposed strike as 'illegal' and asserted that it would take all steps to maintain law and order and ensure normal life was not affected.
   
Nedumaran and PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss have disputed the government's stand as "incorrect" saying the Supreme Court had only banned bandhs and not general strikes. The appeal was only for voluntary participation, they said and asked participants not to indulge in any violence.

With sections of student community also becoming restive and launching protests over the Lankan issue, the state government, sensing their mood, ordered closure of all colleges till further orders and directed the students to vacate their hostel rooms immediately. This is seen as a move to thwart the students from launching an agitation.
  
The DMK had convened an urgent meeting of its executive here tomorrow, the death anniversary of its founder C Annadurai. Party general secretary K Anbhazhagan had said the meeting would decide on the future course of its action on the issue. The party had earlier issued a veiled threat to the centre that the DMK government was prepared to lose power on the issue by resigning.
  
AIADMK leader Jayalalitha wanted a peaceful settlement of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, but was opposed to the LTTE's participation in any talks for this purpose. She said any organisation believed in violence could not be a party for a peaceful settlement.