‘Lankan issue will affect Cong, DMK during polls’

(February 06, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Lanka issue would have its effects on the Lok Sabha elections with adverse impact for both the DMK and the Congress, according to a prepoll survey released by the members of the Institute of People’s Studies (IPS).

Releasing the findings today of a multi-disciplinary research forum which interviewed a section of public to elicit their opinion over the Lankan issue, Professor Rajanayakam of the forum said, ‘our research revealed that the initiatives taken by the Central government so far in solving the ethnic issue was not satisfactory.’

Further the Central government should immediately stop all forms of military assistance to Sri Lanka according to a majority of the respondents. ‘A majority of the respondents (52 per cent) felt that the political parties in Tamilnadu have no real sympathy for Lankan Tamils and they are politicising the ethnic problem to garner votes,’ he said.

Moreover, a majority of 86 per cent (of respondents) expressed their opinion that all parties should work together under Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and 71 per cent of them were of the view that Karunanidhi should take all efforts to sort out the Lankan problem without worrying about the fate of his government. ‘Even if the DMK loses power over the issue, it would get a thumping victory in the next elections,’ Rajanayakam said.

He said the survey found out a majority of the public were of the view that Congress president Sonia Gandhi should forgive LTTE as the party has done the same to Sikhs who were ‘held responsible’ for the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Karunanidhi should come out of ‘fear over losing power’ and act responsibly with boldness, according to the survey findings.

However, the crux of the survey by IPS was that separate Eelam would be the permanent solution for the ethnic crisis. Dwelling on the survey method, he said a sample of 3,100 people had been taken for registering their views on the range of problems arising out of Lankan ethnic crisis.-Sri Lanka Guardian