Dr. Ramadoss and his Sri Lanka Muslim bashing

By M.S.Shah Jahan

(February 24, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) "Pakistan’s ISI sleuths with Sri Lankan passports and members of Karuna faction had crossed over to India and were stationed in places such as Egmore, Kolhikode and Bangalore, targeting the supporters of Eelam Tamils. It had come to light that recently, over 2,000 Islamic youths from the eastern province of Sri Lanka were trained in a Pakistan camp. The group might pose danger to India and vital installations such as power stations at Koodankulam and Kalpakkam. Sri Lanka seemed to be getting closer to China and Pakistan.

Dr. S.Ramadoss, founder of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, [Toilers party] the PMK, uttered the above and urged the Centre to order Sri Lanka to immediately end the war. If the latter did not do so, it should withdraw its naval ships, satellites, surveillance aircraft and the technical hands from the island nation, he added.

‘Save the innocent Eelam Tamils’ campaign was started in Tamilnadu by the Communist Party of India. The Marxists never interfered in Lankan issue but tacitly supported the governments and showed no sympathy for rebels. Marxism itself is based on revolution with a blend of terrorism, as Mao said, "Power comes out of the barrel of a gun." Look at the history how the Leninists in Russia, Maoists in China and Nepal, and the JVP here killed and tortured pro Government elements and the innocent civilians. The word revolution in the 19th centaury gradually became terrorism in the 20th centaury.

Compared to CPM- Communist Party - Marxist [pro China], CPI- Communist Party of India [pro Russia] is weaker in Tamilnadu and nation wide. Therefore it was natural for CPI’s Tamilnadu unit, headed by its State Secretary T.Pandyan, to take up the Eelam cause. But Pandyan rejected that CPI’s support to Eelam Tamils were not a political Manoeuvre. "It is a shame to think about forming political alliance over the dead bodies of Eelam Tamils" he added. Yet it is to be noted here that the CPM plays mild on Lankan issue and not that boisterous like the CPI.

If India had a nuclear deal with China or Russia, instead of US, the Communists would have supported. Now having broken the Congress alliance they are in negotiation with Jayalalitha. But last week Jayalalitha wooed the Congress saying, "Those who will come with us will gain and those who will not be with us will lose." Doesn’t "Amma" talk like Jesus Christ from Mount Hermon? But such alliance is unlikely.

The band wagon brought by Pandyan to Mount Road [Anna Salai today] was readily occupied by Tiger friendly politicians like Vaiko who has ruined his political career for his affection for the terrorists, Thirumavalavan, a young firebrand and a Dalit based party leader, Dr.S. Ramadoss, a medical doctor turned maverick politician, and Nedumaran, LTTE’s foster father in Tamilnadu.

Before forming PMK [1999], Dr. S. Ramadoss previously worked with Vanniyar Sangham [Vanniyar Association] a caste based violent movement like Shiv Sena of Mumbai. Cutting road side trees to block traffic, and placing head on railway tracks were their common way of protest in the early days. His political Mantra was - he should have his own way, or he goes to highway. At one stage he advocated the bifurcation of a Vanniyar cast state where he could become the Chief Minister.

Dr.Ramadoss is an over ambitious and unprincipled politician. His political antic was appreciated by none out of his community. On every election he see-sawed between the ADMK and the DMK, openly announcing that he would join the one who gives even one seat more than the other. That way he was a seat beggar.

For years he promised that none from his family would follow him in politics. But he snapped ties with Jayalalitha in 2001, for she refused to allocate a Rajya Sabha seat to his son Dr. Anbumani, an alumnus of Madras Medical College. Consequently, he joined hands with Karunanithi only after ensuring that his son was accommodated in the Rajya Sabha.

Westernised Dr. Anbumani, [41] played a major role in selecting the party candidates for the last Lok Sabha election and vigorously campaigned for them. The PMK won all the six seats allocated to them in the Congress-DMK alliance and Dr.Anbumani became the Minister of Health through Rajya Sabah. Anyone who questions his authority or grumbles about family politics in the party is either sidelined or thrown out. Such is the hold of Anbumani over the organization. He is indeed the future face of the party.

Lately, Dr.Ramadoss started a movement to save Tamil, which is readily salable in Tamil Nadu. He began with the movie industry by asking them to name movies only in Tamil. This also followed by some rallies and protests that brought conflict with actors like Vijaykanth and actress Kushbu. Both the doctors are accused of playing petty politics against top film personalities like Rajinikanth, smoking cigarettes in Tamil films while targeting Sharukh Khan for drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes in Hindi movies.

Last week Dr.Ramadoss said he had no links what so ever with the LTTE, knew no body there but fight for the innocent Tamil civilians trapped in the war only. Well, his party has a unique position in Indian politics as the one that made a resolution at the party’s high-level executive committee and general council meetings, presided over by Dr. S. Ramadoss, that the Central Government should not allow any other country to replace Norway as a peace negotiator in Lanka’s ethnic conflict.

Few of his party functionaries in the past were guests of functions held in Europe and North America by Tiger sympathizers. Did PMK Men talk about the civilian plight there which did not exist at that time, or glorify the Eelam struggle and praise the Sun God? Further, the ‘Makkal TV’ owned by PMK signed an agreement with LTTE sponsored Tharishanam TV to telecast selected Makkal TV programmes in Tharishanam and vise versa. Do we need further proof for PMK’s link with the LTTE?

Now Dr.Ramadoss, having failed in his numerous attempts to bring a ceasefire [after the air attack on 20th that looked like the last will of the LTTE, a ceasefire seems to be not possible even if the entire Tamilnadu goes on self immolation] to give a breathing space to his ardent brother, has turned his gun against Lankan Muslims and Pakistan. His bombastic speech that spies from Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s ISI are housed in the Buddhist temple opposite to Egmore railway station in Chennai is vituperative and puts the innocent Buddhist pilgrims, in and out of this Kenneth lane Vihara, and Lankan Muslims youths who roam about Egmore on business, at risk. Also his remarks will jeopardize the welfare of Tamilnadu Muslims too.

Pro Tiger politicians in Tamilnadu have been making baseless allegations. Well known Gopalsamy s/o Vaiyapuri alias Vaiko said last month that the Indian Government had sent 3,000 troops to assist Sri Lankan forces. May we ask him by which ship and at what port they arrived in Lanka? Is Vaiko repeating the BBC news of 10th October 1987? Inciting students to participate in demonstration is against law, but Vaiko does. Last week actor Vijaykanth said on stage, "Sri Lanka had Two Crores Tamils before" [20 million]. These are the people who want Tamilnadu’s mantle.

On the 21st instant when Nedumaran was questioned by SunTV about people’s protest in Jaffna for LTTE to release the civilians in Vanni, he said it was Sinhala government news, as if no such protest ever happened. Also he repeatedly said that India was the mother land to Lankan Tamils. Ever any Jaffna man said that before 1983? What is his answer to the allegation by the civilians that the LTTE carders fired at them when they fled to escape from them?

Today Tamilnadu is burning [as LTTE wanted] with shoot at sight order as the ceasefire demand to ‘Save the innocent Eelam Tamils’ has gone out of hand. In fact, it is the LTTE, like a shepherd driving his sheep, drove the people along with them as they lost territory after territory. This was the case in Jaffna in 1995 when they retreated to Vanni. Like in Israel they never took any steps to protect the civilians from aerial attacks.

Now Sri Lanka expressed willingness to accept India’s assistance in evacuating civilians. If the LTTE genuinely cares for the safety of the civilians, they should release them and continue their fight if they are still capable. Plight of the civilians is deplorable. Nadesan’s statement that ‘our people like to be with us’ is humbug. If the LTTE doesn’t, supporters of Eelam Tamils must demand the Tigers to do so. So far no such request was raised. Otherwise, it will be proved to the world that the LTTE held civilians for their own protection and all those demonstrations in India and emotional speeches made by pro LTTE leaders would be taken as being tantamount to save the Leader not people.

Sour not sweet news it will be to Dr. Ramadoss, whose election symbol is Mango.

-Sri Lanka Guardian