Will An Indian Congress walk the talk over Lanka issue?

(October 24, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Now that the Congress leaders in the State have clarified that they are against the supporters of the LTTE, political circles are abuzz with a question whether the national party would sever its ties with the ruling DMK.

The reason is— the DMK’s alleged soft corner towards the LTTE and its recent stand over the Lankan Tamils issue, which is being viewed as lending a helping hand to the banned organisation, at a time when it is suffering a setback in the island nation.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Congress Legislature Party leader D Sudarssanam said, ‘It is the responsibility of the State government to take strong action against supporters of the LTTE and advocates of Thani Tamizhnadu (separate Tamil nation).’

Demanding that the supporters of a separate Tamil nation be booked under the National Security Act, Sudarssanam said that he was confident that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would act accordingly.

Stating that the Congress MLAs would meet and discuss the political situation in the State, he, however, said the Congress sympathised with the plight of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka.

He pointed out that the LTTE was a banned organisation not only in India but also in many other countries. Any support expressed in favour of the LTTE was simply not acceptable, he added.

Asked whether his party would take part in the human chain programme scheduled for Friday, Sudarssanam replied, ‘Please wait and see.’

It has to be noted that none of the Congress MPs had submitted their resignation so far, even as their counterparts in the DMK had presented their resignation letters to party chief Karunanidhi following a resolution at the all-party meeting that the MPs from the State would resign if the Centre failed to intervene in the Lankan issue.

Jaya hits out at ‘LTTE supporters’

AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday alleged that support to the banned LTTE had been increasing in the State after the DMK came to power.

‘Film directors Seeman and Ameer had made some objectionable remarks, which amounted to challenging the sovereignty of the country. They had gone to the extent of demanding a separate Tamilnadu’, she said in a statement.

Tamilnadu government had not taken any action against them and nobody can expect action against them as long as Karunanidhi, who had written poems, condoling the death of LTTE leaders, continued to be the Chief Minister, she said and asked ‘What action does the UPA government, headed by the Congress, proposed to take’.

Asserting that her party was against any anti-national movement, she said that if she were in power, she would have arrested the film directors for their remarks.

‘Those who supported the LTTE are anti-national’, she said. - Sri Lanka Guardian