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 What we are witnessing in Tamil Nadu today is the phenomenon of the tail wagging the dog. Hounded out of the country officially, hamstrung by the dismantling of its network on Indian soil, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) still manage to call the shots whenever the sensitive issue of Tamil identity crops up in political discourse.
A clear pattern is discernible in the charade of Kannada actor Rajkumar's kidnapping by sandalwood smuggler Veerappan and his release after 108 days in captivity. Latest reports confirm that Veerappan articulated his preference for Tamil Nationalist Movement (Tamil Desiya Iyakkam) leader P Nedumaran as the official negotiator on a signal from the LTTE.
Was the release of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) detenus in Karnataka and the Tamil militants in Tamil Nadu jails the only major objective of the kidnapping? Doubts about a hidden agenda have been widely publicised in the media. Only an impartial probe will provide answers to several disturbing questions. That may not be readily forthcoming.
The timing of the episode synchronised with a particular phase of the war on the ground in Sri Lanka. It also took into account the preparations for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu due next year. Whatever else the LTTE may or may not have achieved by proxy, they won legitimacy for the Tamil nationalists, hitherto considered a spent force. Political parties in the state would like to distance themselves from extremist postures while, at the same time, calling for a fresh initiative from New Delhi to resolve the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka.At the very least, the Tigers have helped initiate a new round of debate on more autonomy for states, including Tamil Nadu. The DMK government in Tamil Nadu sympathises with this viewpoint.
Nedumaran never misses a chance to rubbish the great ideals of the Indian national movement of which he was once a participant. He dismisses Indian nationalism as a British concept, setting his face against a movement, which had fired the imagination of millions of our countrymen and given them hope and courage in the midst of gloom and despair.
He told the fifth state conference of the Tamil Nationalist Movement in Madurai on October 1 that the fragmentation of political parties like the Congress was due to "their failure to respect regional sentiments." Did not the leaders of the Tamil Maanila Congress express the same view while leaving their parent organisation? Thus the issue of more autonomy within the framework of the Constitution cannot be wished away by political parties, whether at the Centre or in the states.
The appearance of posters from time to time, hailing LTTE leader Prabhakaran as "maaveeran" (great hero) who took on the mighty government of India, will be galling to most Indians. But then for the
Eelam
enthusiasts Prabhakaran is a hero on the model of Elara (Ellala). Prabhakaran is perhaps looked upon as one who avenged Elara's defeat at the hands of Duttugamunu, the Sinhalese prince, in the second century BC.
The real danger is a kind of Talibanisation of Tamil Nadu, which political parties, intellectuals and the Union Government should try to avert at all costs. Some of the resolutions adopted at the Madurai conference carry an ominous message.
K.S.Mahadevan
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