Jaya's sarcasm on MK's 'silent pain'

(November 20, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Hitting out at a claim by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi that 'no one knew his silent pain on the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils', AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Thursday said Karunanidhi had betrayed the Lankan Tamils and was now trying to blame LTTE chief V Prabakaran in a bid to cover up his 'misdeeds' on the issue.

In a statement here, she said if Karunanidhi was really interested in protecting Tamils in the island nation, he should have put pressure on the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, right from the beginning of last year, when the Lankan army launched an offensive against the Tamils.

Reacting to Karunanidhi's remarks that the wrong strategies of Prabakaran led to the fall of LTTE and the present tragic state of Tamils in Lanka, the former Chief Minister said Karunanidhi was exploiting the Sri Lankan Tamils issue for personal gains.

'If Karunanidhi had real interest in finding a solution to the problem, he should have issued an ultimatum to the UPA government in 2008 stating that his party would withdraw support if it failed to ensure a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.' By not doing so, Karunanidhi had done 'great injustice' to Tamils.

To cover up this he was blaming the slain LTTE leader Prabakaran for the impasse. But, people would not forget 'anti-Tamil’ activities of Karunanidhi, she said.

On Tuesday, Karunanidhi recalled the LTTE’s call to Tamils for boycotting the 2005 Presidential elections and said that Sri Lanka Freedom Party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa had defeated United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe by a margin of about 1.81 lakh votes and seven lakh Tamils in Sri Lanka did not cast their votes.

'Wickremesinghe had then promised the electors that he would give priority to peace talks with the LTTE in the event of his election,' he said.

He also blamed Prabakaran for the fall of LTTE and the present sordid status of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Recalling the fervent pleas made by him and leaders of various political parties in the State, requesting the LTTE to give up fratricidal war, Karunanidhi said right from the beginning, the strategies drawn by the LTTE leader went wrong.

-Sri Lanka Guardian