"He Gave Eelam Tamils Motherly Love": TVK Chief Vijay's Praise For Rajiv Gandhi Killer

TVK chief Vijay addressing the crowd with a photo of LTTE chief Prabhakaran.

Chennai:

In a potentially controversial move, Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Saturday raised the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and praised Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) late chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, who orchestrated former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Vijay emphasized the importance of "giving a voice to the Sri Lankan Tamils" living in India.

The Sri Lankan Tamils include many refugees who sought shelter in India during the civil war. The LTTE, banned in India since the 1990s, was an armed organization that controlled northern and eastern Sri Lankan provinces. They fought for an independent Tamil state for decades until their defeat by Sri Lankan forces in 2009. Prabhakaran was killed by the Sri Lankan army that same year.

During his campaign speech in Nagapattinam for the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections, Vijay connected with the Sri Lankan Tamil community and suggested that Prabhakaran was "like a mother" to them. The Sri Lankan Tamil issue remains emotionally charged in Tamil Nadu, particularly among fishermen in coastal areas like Nagapattinam.

"Our umbilical-cord kin, the Eelam Tamils, whether in Sri Lanka or elsewhere worldwide, are suffering after losing a leader who showed them motherly affection," Vijay stated, clearly referencing Prabhakaran. "It is our duty to raise our voice for them," he added.

This is not Vijay's first show of solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils. In 2008, he participated in a hunger strike in Chennai protesting the killing of community members in Sri Lanka. However, supporting Lankan Tamils differs from endorsing the LTTE, which remains prohibited in India.

Prabhakaran and his intelligence chief Pottu Amman conspired to assassinate Gandhi in 1991, following the Indian Peace Keeping Force's (IPKF) withdrawal from Sri Lanka after battling the LTTE for nearly three years. Prabhakaran reportedly sought revenge for the Prime Minister's 1987 decision to deploy Indian peacekeepers in Sri Lanka.

The LTTE never officially admitted to Gandhi's assassination, who was killed by a Sri Lankan Tamil female suicide bomber at an election rally near Chennai in 1991.

Following the assassination, India outlawed the LTTE - previously based in Tamil Nadu and supported by New Delhi in the 70s and early 80s - and declared Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman as wanted offenders.

Beyond praising Prabhakaran, Vijay declared that addressing fishermen's issues remains among his party's top priorities. "We are not like the DMK government that writes a long letter about the fishermen's issue and then remains silent. Finding a solution to the fishermen's problem is one of our key agendas," he told supporters, criticizing the MK Stalin-led administration.

He stated that while fishermen's lives were important, "the dreams and lives of the Eelam Tamils are equally important to us."

"I discussed at the Madurai conference the reasons behind Sri Lankan navy attacks on our fishermen and possible solutions. It is my duty to stand with fishermen," he further stated.

Several other Tamil political figures, including late DMK Chief M Karunanidhi, have previously made controversial remarks about Prabhakaran, who remains a divisive figure with appeal among Tamil hardliners.