My Take on LTTE, Rajapaksa and India: MC Raj
MERINEWS
Radical Views
M C Raj
India has the power, not the will to bring to book Mahinda Rajapaksa
22 March, 2013 Prabhakaran of LTTE was known to stun the world with
his antics. The only damnation was that many of his antics took away
lives of innocent people. No doubt, he fought for a cause and was well
supported by his peers, friends and admirers. He was a leader of
sorts.
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12
21
04.0/5
12345
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Even many of those who did not like his violent ways subscribed to the
way he fought for the rights of the Tamil people till his last breath.
Identity is a human right. Language is a strong cultural and political
identity. None brought this to the fore in recent history so
powerfully as the Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu that built up a
political party and ascended the throne of power repeatedly. It is a
clear evidence of what language can do to a people.
In fact, nationalism of many nations is constructed on the question of
language. That is why India has proclaimed Hindi as the language of
India, despite the fact that far too less people owe allegiance to an
identity politics based on Hindi. The effort of India to 'impose'
Hindi on the South brought about a radical transformation in the
position of power for Congress. Prabhakaran was ready to forge a unity
of his people on the question of language and many serious issues
related to it.
Sri Lankan ruling class also was out in the open to oppress and
decimate the Tamil people based on their ethnicity and linguistic
identity. They forged a counter unity of Sinhala identity. It is only
natural that emotional vibrations of the Aryans and Dravidians in
India had their vibes with these identities. Whenever even a rational
support or non-support was provided to either of these, it generated
strong streams of sentiments of 'hidden agenda' based on identity
politics.
Leave alone the fact that true to the Tamil tradition Prabhakaran was
betrayed more by his friends and colleagues and less by his enemies.
His downfall came only when his friends started betraying him and
began to make tacit compromises of power with the ruling class of Sri
Lanka. If there was a Judas in the mythical history of Jesus there
were also many such in the battle-geared, highly disciplined,
hero-worshipping Tamil outfit called LTTE.
All great leaders make such mistake that marks their ultimate
downfall. There is no stereotyping of such mistakes. It may be women,
wine, some secret deals, a personal weakness etc. There is that one
sudden rush of blood that leads the leader to his/her waterloo. We saw
it at our own doorstep when emergency was declared.
Being a total outsider, I can only surmise on this one last decision
that Prabhakaran made and that led to his ultimately 'brutal murder'
by Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was his decision to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.
The 'betrayals' in New Delhi by the Rajiv Gandhi regime, the
'excesses' of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in LTTE territory could
have greatly contributed to that penultimate decision to eliminate one
of the noble sons of India. In the glory of achievement it was
possible that the leader of one of the non-governmental fighting
outfits drenched itself with personal sense of success that for a
moment he lost his organization's strategy and future.
It was one of the biggest mistakes that Prabhakaran made as a fighter.
He could not have won his battle simply by 'terrorist' strategies; he
should have made a healthy mix of political strategy making it a
military strategy. This was the difference between him and Rajapaksa.
Any loss of balance in this strategizing could lead one or other
leader to their ultimate doom. It is sad that Prabhakaran and Rajiv
had to become victims of such miscalculations - one seeking power and
the other drenched with power.
The Tamils today are up in arms all over the world. But they are
bereft of their true political capital, Eelam. It may be England, USA
or anywhere else that they evolve their political strategy. Tamilians
in Tamil Nadu claiming to be in support of the Tamils in Eelam only
have made themselves laughing stock. In fact, Tamil leaders have only
seen what best advantage they can reap out of the blood oozing from
victim bodies of Eelam Tamils.
The only noble exception is the student movement in support of Tamils.
Even this, I suspect, may die out once the question of UN resolution
fizzles out. Tamilians can be so sentimental that they can very easily
forget their ultimate goal if their conflicting emotions are aroused
on the way. Otherwise, why would the Dravidian Movement become more
Brahminic in Tamil Nadu standing as one of the biggest champions of
Brahminism?
All these, however, do not add adequate legitimacy to the way UPA and
India are handling the issue of Tamils in their neighboring State.
This is because, however, weak Tamilians may be in the perception of
others; their unity can still lead to the emergence of a Pan Tamilian
Nation in the world. One can never discount such a possibility,
especially with the dilution of the borders of the postmodern Nation
State. The power of Tamil sentimentalism cannot be easily dispensed
with either.
Priyanka Gandhi's visit to Nalini in jail was a landmark that is
generally not taken seriously. One can easily understand the anger and
remorse in the ruling trinity of India - Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul.
Their anger is legitimate, quite legitimate. However political a
family may be, a father is the ultimate to his children and a husband
is crucial to his wife. Plucking him away from their lives for
political reasons can never take away the human dimension in their
lives. They deserve all support on this count.
Nalini was vulnerable, having husband in jail and a child with her. A
bird in a cage tries to fly out as the first thing as soon as a little
opening is made without thinking of survival in the larger world.
Nalini simply did that. Priyanka, as a woman knew this very well. Two
and two made four. Armed with unassailable information on the
strategies that went into the killing of Rajiv, it must have become
much easier to take a 'right' decision by different power centers in
both countries.
Perhaps, what Prabhakaran did not realize was that he was only a mean
power in the face of a combined assault by the Sri Lankan army tacitly
supported by India. UPA, especially Congress cannot be faulted for
occasional hard stand that they take vis-à-vis the Tamil issue. After
all, they also loved their leader. After all, they also have a
political future to cling on to. Is the issue of Tamil rights so
sacrosanct in the political governance of India? Perhaps Tamilians
have a responsibility to remind the Government of India of their
indispensability.
The 'cold blooded' murder of Balakrishnan, the son of Prabhakaran
calls for universal condemnation of the Sri Lankan Government, army
and especially of Rajapaksa. Behind that child murder is also the
murder of his mother whom no one takes notice of. That he is a war
criminal should not be left to sheer imagination and political
legitimization. Balakrishnan's murder is only the tip of the iceberg.
If a child can be assassinated only for being a child, it chills out
the human nerves of the rest of humanity. Beneath the tip of the
iceberg lies a big heap of dead bodies of Tamilians who were ready to
give up anything in life for the sake of their Nationhood. There lies
a mound of raped bodies of innocent women, with emaciated bodies of
their parents and relatives running around like possessed human beings
seeking justice in a parched land where justice has become
'Sinhalese'.
There is no point in reciting a litany of the cruel mindset of
Rajapaksa who tries even to hoodwink the international community with
his camouflaging rhetoric. At this level, the identity politics of a
people should be immaterial for India. It is not any more a Tamil or
Sinhalese issue. Can violence have a color? Crime has to be dealt with
as crime. Eelam Tamils are not any more in a position to be criminals.
They have become the victims of criminals prowling around in Sri Lanka
armed with discourses of the uprightness. It is not any more India
that has to wear the mantle of human rights but the rest of the world.
Can India absolve itself of its present responsibility just because of
a bad past?
The present situation of Tamils has outgrown Prabhakaran, LTTE and
Rajiv and is shrouded around the mind and body of Rajapaksa. If
Prabhakran can be called a terrorist only because he did not have a
legitimately elected government, Rajapaksa should be banished
precisely because he is a terrorist who takes shelter under the garb
of heading an elected government. A terrorist with State mechanism is
much more dangerous to the rest of the world. India has the power to
bring him to books. But does India have the will?
--
M C Raj
REDS, REDS Road
Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
Visit my Blog at: http://www.mcrajauthor.com
Visit another Blog: http://dalitashram.blogspot.com
Email for electoral reforms: ceri.reds@gmail.com
Email for REDS: jyothi.dalitreds@gmail.com
Radical Views
M C Raj
India has the power, not the will to bring to book Mahinda Rajapaksa
22 March, 2013 Prabhakaran of LTTE was known to stun the world with
his antics. The only damnation was that many of his antics took away
lives of innocent people. No doubt, he fought for a cause and was well
supported by his peers, friends and admirers. He was a leader of
sorts.
3
12
21
04.0/5
12345
Ads by Google
Get New Customers Online www.Google.com/AdWordsAdvertise On Google.
Get 2000 INR Advertising Credit When You Sign-Up
Even many of those who did not like his violent ways subscribed to the
way he fought for the rights of the Tamil people till his last breath.
Identity is a human right. Language is a strong cultural and political
identity. None brought this to the fore in recent history so
powerfully as the Dravidian Movement in Tamil Nadu that built up a
political party and ascended the throne of power repeatedly. It is a
clear evidence of what language can do to a people.
In fact, nationalism of many nations is constructed on the question of
language. That is why India has proclaimed Hindi as the language of
India, despite the fact that far too less people owe allegiance to an
identity politics based on Hindi. The effort of India to 'impose'
Hindi on the South brought about a radical transformation in the
position of power for Congress. Prabhakaran was ready to forge a unity
of his people on the question of language and many serious issues
related to it.
Sri Lankan ruling class also was out in the open to oppress and
decimate the Tamil people based on their ethnicity and linguistic
identity. They forged a counter unity of Sinhala identity. It is only
natural that emotional vibrations of the Aryans and Dravidians in
India had their vibes with these identities. Whenever even a rational
support or non-support was provided to either of these, it generated
strong streams of sentiments of 'hidden agenda' based on identity
politics.
Leave alone the fact that true to the Tamil tradition Prabhakaran was
betrayed more by his friends and colleagues and less by his enemies.
His downfall came only when his friends started betraying him and
began to make tacit compromises of power with the ruling class of Sri
Lanka. If there was a Judas in the mythical history of Jesus there
were also many such in the battle-geared, highly disciplined,
hero-worshipping Tamil outfit called LTTE.
All great leaders make such mistake that marks their ultimate
downfall. There is no stereotyping of such mistakes. It may be women,
wine, some secret deals, a personal weakness etc. There is that one
sudden rush of blood that leads the leader to his/her waterloo. We saw
it at our own doorstep when emergency was declared.
Being a total outsider, I can only surmise on this one last decision
that Prabhakaran made and that led to his ultimately 'brutal murder'
by Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was his decision to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.
The 'betrayals' in New Delhi by the Rajiv Gandhi regime, the
'excesses' of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in LTTE territory could
have greatly contributed to that penultimate decision to eliminate one
of the noble sons of India. In the glory of achievement it was
possible that the leader of one of the non-governmental fighting
outfits drenched itself with personal sense of success that for a
moment he lost his organization's strategy and future.
It was one of the biggest mistakes that Prabhakaran made as a fighter.
He could not have won his battle simply by 'terrorist' strategies; he
should have made a healthy mix of political strategy making it a
military strategy. This was the difference between him and Rajapaksa.
Any loss of balance in this strategizing could lead one or other
leader to their ultimate doom. It is sad that Prabhakaran and Rajiv
had to become victims of such miscalculations - one seeking power and
the other drenched with power.
The Tamils today are up in arms all over the world. But they are
bereft of their true political capital, Eelam. It may be England, USA
or anywhere else that they evolve their political strategy. Tamilians
in Tamil Nadu claiming to be in support of the Tamils in Eelam only
have made themselves laughing stock. In fact, Tamil leaders have only
seen what best advantage they can reap out of the blood oozing from
victim bodies of Eelam Tamils.
The only noble exception is the student movement in support of Tamils.
Even this, I suspect, may die out once the question of UN resolution
fizzles out. Tamilians can be so sentimental that they can very easily
forget their ultimate goal if their conflicting emotions are aroused
on the way. Otherwise, why would the Dravidian Movement become more
Brahminic in Tamil Nadu standing as one of the biggest champions of
Brahminism?
All these, however, do not add adequate legitimacy to the way UPA and
India are handling the issue of Tamils in their neighboring State.
This is because, however, weak Tamilians may be in the perception of
others; their unity can still lead to the emergence of a Pan Tamilian
Nation in the world. One can never discount such a possibility,
especially with the dilution of the borders of the postmodern Nation
State. The power of Tamil sentimentalism cannot be easily dispensed
with either.
Priyanka Gandhi's visit to Nalini in jail was a landmark that is
generally not taken seriously. One can easily understand the anger and
remorse in the ruling trinity of India - Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul.
Their anger is legitimate, quite legitimate. However political a
family may be, a father is the ultimate to his children and a husband
is crucial to his wife. Plucking him away from their lives for
political reasons can never take away the human dimension in their
lives. They deserve all support on this count.
Nalini was vulnerable, having husband in jail and a child with her. A
bird in a cage tries to fly out as the first thing as soon as a little
opening is made without thinking of survival in the larger world.
Nalini simply did that. Priyanka, as a woman knew this very well. Two
and two made four. Armed with unassailable information on the
strategies that went into the killing of Rajiv, it must have become
much easier to take a 'right' decision by different power centers in
both countries.
Perhaps, what Prabhakaran did not realize was that he was only a mean
power in the face of a combined assault by the Sri Lankan army tacitly
supported by India. UPA, especially Congress cannot be faulted for
occasional hard stand that they take vis-à-vis the Tamil issue. After
all, they also loved their leader. After all, they also have a
political future to cling on to. Is the issue of Tamil rights so
sacrosanct in the political governance of India? Perhaps Tamilians
have a responsibility to remind the Government of India of their
indispensability.
The 'cold blooded' murder of Balakrishnan, the son of Prabhakaran
calls for universal condemnation of the Sri Lankan Government, army
and especially of Rajapaksa. Behind that child murder is also the
murder of his mother whom no one takes notice of. That he is a war
criminal should not be left to sheer imagination and political
legitimization. Balakrishnan's murder is only the tip of the iceberg.
If a child can be assassinated only for being a child, it chills out
the human nerves of the rest of humanity. Beneath the tip of the
iceberg lies a big heap of dead bodies of Tamilians who were ready to
give up anything in life for the sake of their Nationhood. There lies
a mound of raped bodies of innocent women, with emaciated bodies of
their parents and relatives running around like possessed human beings
seeking justice in a parched land where justice has become
'Sinhalese'.
There is no point in reciting a litany of the cruel mindset of
Rajapaksa who tries even to hoodwink the international community with
his camouflaging rhetoric. At this level, the identity politics of a
people should be immaterial for India. It is not any more a Tamil or
Sinhalese issue. Can violence have a color? Crime has to be dealt with
as crime. Eelam Tamils are not any more in a position to be criminals.
They have become the victims of criminals prowling around in Sri Lanka
armed with discourses of the uprightness. It is not any more India
that has to wear the mantle of human rights but the rest of the world.
Can India absolve itself of its present responsibility just because of
a bad past?
The present situation of Tamils has outgrown Prabhakaran, LTTE and
Rajiv and is shrouded around the mind and body of Rajapaksa. If
Prabhakran can be called a terrorist only because he did not have a
legitimately elected government, Rajapaksa should be banished
precisely because he is a terrorist who takes shelter under the garb
of heading an elected government. A terrorist with State mechanism is
much more dangerous to the rest of the world. India has the power to
bring him to books. But does India have the will?
--
M C Raj
REDS, REDS Road
Shanthinagar
Tumkur 572102
Karnataka, India
Phone: ++91-816-2277026
Fax: ++91-816-2272515
Mobile: ++9845144893
Visit my Blog at: http://www.mcrajauthor.com
Visit another Blog: http://dalitashram.blogspot.com
Email for electoral reforms: ceri.reds@gmail.com
Email for REDS: jyothi.dalitreds@gmail.com
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