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by V. S. Subramaniam
(June 16, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Paradoxically an India that under Indraji strove for the Tamil cause to save the Tamil from SL genocide has now become partners in that crime. This Indian action has the potential to destroy the Tamils and the Tamil cause. Hence expressions of support for Tamil aspirations are hardly audible today from Delhi. India's support for SL's genocide is no longer covert. India indulges in the same diversionary tactics of the US over the Palestine issue with the focus not being on redressing the occupation and the Palestinian sufferings but on everything else and most importantly the security of Israel.
This deception eluded peace in that region forever. Similarly India's concern in SL has shifted away from the SL genocide to a so-called ’terrorism’; a pseudonym for the Tamil resistance fighting the SL genocide. India's obsession with neutralising the Tamil resistance/LTTE a viable entity that saves the SL Tamils from total extinction involves India becoming a partner in SL's genocidal crime. This obsession led Rajiv to engineer the undemocratic dismissal of the TN government to stifle TN opinion supporting the Tamil insurgency. Today's Congress led Delhi government goes further using the tools of subtle coercion like the intrusive overseeing of pro-resistance sympathies in TN and brandishing the anti-terrorism laws and much more.
Appeasing SL sensitivities at the expense of TN sensitivities
Rajiv's approach ran counter to Indraji approach to the Tamil cause. Rajiv's approach now set in concrete will remain the policy of future Congress dominated administrations. For Delhi SL sensitivities overrides the sensitivities of mainstream Tamils. Hence far too many Delhi/Chennai differences have surfaced recently over sensitive SL issues. This is unprecedented. Delhi abandons the norm of basic state/central consultations on SL relations. This caused much embarrassment to the Indian PM when he had to cancel the much touted visit for SL's Independence Day celebrations on TN expressing displeasure. In a tit for tat move, Delhi to appease SL for this lavished an unprecedented level of tamashas for the SL armed forces Chief Fonseka's Indian visit especially at a time SL was waging a ferocious war on the Tamils in the Vanni. Pro-Congress apologists dismiss any underlying resentment amongst mainstream Tamils over the latter with the deceptive claim that the Tamil cause is a non-issue in TN. For how long the mainstream Tamils will remain mollified by such double talk remains to be seen.
A return to Indraji's approach not in the Indian radar
A return to Indraji's approach is in the long term interest of India and for peace and stability in the region. The present policy originated by Rajiv failed the IPKF mission. Indraji moved by the sufferings of the Tamils and respecting the sensitivities of brethren 'mainstream Tamils' in TN 'mothered and nurtured' a viable armed resistance. Though inter-group violence instigated by RAW did occur in TN then, Indraji discouraged them to insulate the resistance from being labeled 'killers' or 'terrorists’ for this reason. In contrast, in the Rajiv political culture the obsession was to label Indraji’s resistance 'terrorists'. Rajiv and Raw instigated much of the inter-group rivalries and killings. Indraji a leader of eminent strength did not allow space for RAW and the sectarian pundit class bureaucrats to create mischief instigating inter-group rivalries to demonize the Tamil armed insurgency. Remarkably under Indraji there were no comparable inter-group rivalries in Bangladesh that Indraji successfully delivered to the cousins of the Indian Bengalis in West Bengal a Bangladesh free from Pakistani oppression though Pakistan was far more powerful than SL. Peace and stability rules in that region. Yet the mourning for Indraji is low keyed compared to Rajiv the bungler.
Congress continues Rajiv's undoing of Indraji's work
Rajiv abdicated the Indraji’s style of governance to end up a failed Prime Minister. For the record the deal he authored to destroy the 'beautiful work of Indraji' for the Tamil insurgency will remain imprinted in Indian history for future generations to pass judgment on the Rajiv legacy. An insight into Rajiv's shortcomings is also given in Maj General (retd) Harkirat Singh's book 'Intervention in Sri Lanka'. Mr Singh narrates the truths about RAW, Rajiv's active role in engineering inter-group killings and the infamous 'kill Prabhaharan order'; facts corroborated with reproductions of internal communications involving several generals. Hence Delhi's open alignment with SL genocide puzzles the unwary but to others the Indian funding of SL for the purchase of fire-power to incinerate the Tamils in the Vanni safe havens, the handiwork of Indraji is also part of the process of undoing Indraji’s work.
Rajiv's 'deal/kill' legacy - an analysis
The Rajiv legacy began with the IPKF adventure. Anil Athale candid comments ’India intervened in Sri Lanka with the sole aim of saving the Tamils. That subsequently it ended up fighting the Tamils themselves was the result of naiveté of the top Indian leaders, bungling of an egotist diplomat and the shrewdness of the then Lankan leadership' have relevance here. The consequence, India the savior turned its guns on the victims. What brought about this change?
The Rajiv's deal legacy provides the explanation. The questionable 1987 Rajiv/JR one-to-one tête-à -tête led to a deal glossed over by most Indian commentators. Rajiv's rule was infested with numerous other questionable deals/scandals as well. The Bofors deal unearthed by the Hindu news group being the most notorious. The Rajiv/JR deal was to finish off the Tamil resistance/LTTE for which Rajiv issued through Ambassador Dixit the famous 'kill Prabhaharan order' to IPKF General Harkirat on 15 September 1987. The General disobeyed the order for breaching accepted military codes. There is no mention of this episode in Dixit's ’Southern Assignment'. Interesting disclosures in Singh's book de-mytisifies the Rajiv legacy to place the present Indian policy in proper perspective; namely meeting the inherited burdensome obligations entailed in Rajiv's deals/commitments. With such revelations on Rajiv, that apologists have no qualms using the Rajiv factor surprises many.
Dark shadows over Rajiv's contribution to India emerge
Rajiv 'deal' culture thus involved the undoing of Indraji's work and India associating with anti-Tamil regimes with notorious ethnic cleansing and genocidal records. The present Congress led government as successor of the Rajiv legacy leaves a perception amongst lobbyists that SL still buys powerful influence into the Indian establishment and media using the corrupt sectarian elements in the Indian polity.
On Rajiv’s notorious 'kill' culture the 1987 'kill Prabhaharan order’, a sectarian clan apologist justifies it as India's ‘punish (ment)' for the Tamil resistance for Rajiv's assassination (an anticipatory punishment in 1987 for a ‘to occur’ 1991 assassination) and as an after thought the apologist adds 'to render it (LTTE) incapable of 'terrorism'. To summarily 'punish' by ‘killing’ an individual and elevating that action to the status of a nation's objective is revolting in civil societies except those infected with the savagery of the Buddhist/Sinhala legacy.
Similarly these apologists apply the same logic to the 1991 killing of Padmanabha in an inter-group fight in the heart of Chennai. Rajiv was alive then and was involved with RAW in instigating the inter-group fights and killings. General Harkirat's book again throws much light on how the blame for the Padmanabha killing was shifted totally on the heads of the Tamil resistance omitting any mention of the killing related acts of Rajiv and RAW. In insurgencies inter-group fights are RAW instigated purely to keep the groups weak and compliant and for intelligence on each other's activities. Partisan media coverage absolved India’s/RAW's role in the inter-group killings. Hence attaching the label 'killers' or 'terrorists' to the resistance alone seems misplaced. There (were and) are other powerful 'killers' or 'kill instigators' in these ‘killings’. India listed the LTTE ‘terrorist’ in 1992 in the aftermath of Rajiv’s assasination. But it was only fourteen years later that India aggressively pressured EU into listing the resistance/LTTE as a 'terrorist' group (December 2005). This was the first anti-Tamil cause action of the new Congress administration fourteen years after Rajiv's 1991 assassination. The prime mover was a close associate of the Rajiv family, Natwar Singh tainted with notorious Iraq oil scam (Volcker report). Any deal/scam that explains Natwar Singh’s lobbying with the EU on this has yet to surface. Indian overt support for SL genocide thus goes back to 2005 and the coming to power of the present Congress led government.
The savage SL genocide that rid more than one million SL Tamils overseas; the rest internally displaced over and over again left half a million in the Vanni safe havens. Now SL's scotched earth war funded by India's US $ 100 million targets them for displacement. Fearing death, injury and assets for basic habitation destroyed the Vanni Tamils have to move out as a last resort and join the half a million already in the South (Colombo and suburbs). Those now in the South were those displaced in earlier scotched earth oppression in Jaffna on to the savagery of which B Mudaliyar Reddy an anti-Tamil admits to in one exceptional sentence 'it is rare to come across a structure that is intact' in his Jaffna Diary in Frontline 26 April 2008. The Congress that was witness to all these like Brutus continues to play the meaningless mantra 'there is no military solution' more so when it cynically funds the purchase of additional fire power to drive the Vanni Tamils out and ensure that the reality of Tamil homelands in SL is erased for good. The Buddhist/Sinhalas and Delhi are hands in glove in this Tamil pogrom and Indian blessing to SL seeking a military solution explains SL's aggressive war stance.
Congress legacy be-spoiled - deal culture and SL's divisive politics heads to Delhi
The shrewder Buddhist/Sinhalas successfully sowed divisive politics that Delhi-Chennai consultations on Indo-SL relations do not occur naturally following erosion in Delhi's confidence in Chennai toeing its new SL line. Chennai is kept is kept in the dark about the nature of the onerous commitments that Rajiv made to JR in the Rajiv/JR deal that India is unable to extricate itself from. Hence the twists and turns in India presenting Indian SL policy to the Indian public. Creating a lack of trust in the loyalty of TN mainstream Tamils within the Indian Union is SL's success story. The words and actions of Delhi show evidence of the SL prejudiced divisive viral infecting Delhi polity via the ruling Congress. India’s SL policy is much muddled thanks to the inter-interest politics (over sharing the spoils) within the sectarian establishment in Delhi. Promises and actions do not move in tandem. Reports on the US$ 100 million in soft loans for SL's arms purchases came within a couple of days of PM Singh promising Vaiko that India does not and will not supply arms to SL. Was the PM overruled or did he view that his promise to Vaiko referred to the supply of Indian arms not funding SL's arms purchases elsewhere?. Being rhetorically clever alone is not clever politics.
Is limitless appeasing of Buddhist/Sinhalas such a priority for India?
Readers would be intrigued by the level of Indian appeasement of SL. SL's objective to eliminate the Tamil resistance goes beyond ethnic cleansing SL of all Tamils; its historical antecedents are memories of the Pandyan and Chola invasions of SL that are drummed into the psyche of the Buddhist/Sinhalese. Hence their deep anti Tamil/Indian tribal prejudice expressed in the genocide and equally in the familiar name calling of Tamils 'para demalas' . Basil Rajapakse (the second in command in Sri Lanka) indulges in it as a past time. The term 'kallathoni' once used is also not a term of endearment for Indians. How would the Indian appeasement of the savage Buddhist/Sinhalas tribal prejudice go down with mainstream Tamils in TN and for how long?
Hence India's interest is best served by setting limits on Delhi’s Buddhist/Sinhalas appeasement before it becomes counter-productive. This would prevent alienation of mainstream Tamils in TN over Delhi’s sort of step motherly treatment that no amount of double speak will soothe. To re-inforce TN Tamils' loyalty, Delhi's policies need to go to its roots giving priority to nurturing unity within the Indian Union above everything else be they deal/money politics, regional stability or any other excuses. TN policies should set limits to Delhi’s SL appeasements while appreciating a Delhi entrapped in an SL predicament.
Indraji with Shree Nehru and Shastri before was the pace setter of an Indian legacy that kept 'the flame of humanity and justice'; championing the aspirations of NAM, freedom from oppression for millions under colonialism; end to the obnoxious apartheid, Pakistani oppression in Bangladesh, the Palestinian trauma, wars in general, the cold war and arms control; all noble causes. Readers will be aghast that an India with such a legacy now supports a seat in UNHRC for SL a virtual pariah state as far as human rights are concerned? On this issue the present Indian leaders unashamedly prefer the company of the savage SL war criminals over eminent humanists/Nobel laureates like Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter. Has India lost its noble cultural bearings?
Hence the call to all patriotic Indians to re-dedicate themselves to the true Indian (pre-Rajiv) legacy of unity within the Indian Union above everything else and putting out of business those who thrive by the cruel divisive trade.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
Majority of Tamils live in the democratic Sri Lanka, including elected members of parlimrnt. This anit possible with genocide. So it looks like hippocritical journalism supporting Tamil-only eelam. ..Tamil Nadu chief minister recognises the tigers as genocidal terrorists and so does velu's deputy who is now the minister of the east. So you know the truth and write the bull, supporting fascist regimes and their self imposed apartheid and genocide !!
Here we go again! Whenever the Tiger terrorists are faced with total destruction, we see Tiger agents like this, pretending to be a journalist, write this pathetic sob bull. I am a tamil and I hate what the Tigers have done in Sri Lanka. Writer's like this , who probably never spent anytime in Sri Lanka, write poppy cock as his expert views.
It is time some one told the truth about India's Failed Foreign policy towards SL. Tamil eelam will be the reality one way or another, India cannot take Tamils for granted because if Tamil Nadu Tamils show their feelings then Indian racist brahmans who rule the Political Establishments like MK narayanan and his cohorts, can not do much accept the will of the people. Tamils will get justice but with heavy price but at the End it will be worth it for Sinhalese and Tamils And for Wicked India.
tami-only eelam may only have been a partial reality during the time of madras seapoys, when killing Lankans and Indians was the name of the game!!
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