LTTE supporters in TN Even as the Maoists continue their desperate, if ultimately futile, attempts to disrupt the polls, perhaps the most uncertain aspect of the present scene is the impact of the suffering of the Sri Lankan Tamils, first, on Tamil Nadu politics and then on government formation at the centre after the general elections.
Tamil civilians died like flies: Survivors
While the unabashed supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Tamil Nadu like V Gopalaswamy or Vaiko of the MDMK have had little hesitation in taking an aggressive stance which is directly opposed to the government of India's diplomatic moderation, the mainstream DMK and the AIADMK have been more careful.
Predictably, New Delhi has been taking a cautious line, calling upon Colombo to safeguard the lives of the civilians caught in the war zone. But the main concern of the government at the centre is the fallout of the Sri Lankan conflict on the fortunes of its ally, the DMK.
Text: Amulya Ganguli/ IANS
Image: AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa addressing an election meeting in support of Virudhunagar constituency candidate and MDMK chief Vaiko, in Virudhunagar on April 23, 2009. (Photograph copyright PTI. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited.)
