Cho Ramaswamy, the editor of Thuglaq magazine, is one of the most respected political analysts in India.
Cho tells Shobha Warrier about the Sri Lankan crisis and the LTTE in his inimitable style.
Why do you think all political parties in Tamil Nadu are suddenly interested in the Sri Lankan Tamils?
It all started with the Communists. They didn't have any particular platform here, and they know that the nuclear deal issue was not going to reach the people. They have been supporting the DMK government and the centre all along. So, this issue came in handy for them as they were in search of a platform. They thought it was a great blessing.
J Jayalalitha immediately issued a statement condemning the attitude of the centre and the state government. Vaiko has been doing it in and out of season. To get better than Vaiko, Ramdoss spoke about it. So, Karunanidhi didn't want to be left out. After all, he calls himself the leader of Tamils wherever they live. To maintain that facade, he had to do something. That is why he is doing all this.
If he was so seriously concerned about the issue, he would have resigned and asked for the dissolution of the assembly and said, I am going to the people. He didn't do that.
We are also aware that the Congress was also a party to the state resolution. No one would have imagined that the Congress MLAs would threaten to pull the central government down!
Do you think there is sympathy for the LTTE among the people in Tamil Nadu?
There is no sympathy for the LTTE in Tamil Nadu. There may be sympathy for the Sri Lankan Tamils but it will not go the extent of the people here accepting it as an election issue. The people will not vote on it. rediff
Edited By - Pawan98 - 18 Nov 2008 15:59:40 GMT |