'Pro-LTTE' overtones at MDMK meet

By M. R. Venkatesh

ERODE, JULY 1. Strong ``pro-LTTE'' and ``pro-Eelam'' overtones were unmistakable as the MDMK's two-day ``Tamil Nadu Awakening Conference'' began here amid the party chief, Mr. Vaiko's assertions of maintaining a moderate stance.

If Mr. Vaiko earlier in the day believed he could manage a ``restrained show of strength'', his hopes were dashed within hours when the opening rally by party cadres and volunteers turned into a virtual celebration of the LTTE's cause, ``Tamil Eelam'', and its ``hero'', Mr. Velupillai Prabhakaran.

While a good number of the MDMK cadres unabashedly sported the LTTE chief's photographs on their shirts while marching through the town, the call for a ``Tamil Eelam'' as being the ``only solution'' to the Sri Lankan Tamils issue was loud and clear. The rallyists not only hailed Mr. Vaiko as the ``revolutionary tiger'' and ``Prabhakaran of Tamil Nadu'', some even saw the ``blossoming of Tamil Eelam as inevitable'' and the only way to end the ``genocide against our Tamil brothers''.

Except for the odd poster or two seeking to project Mr. Vaiko as the leader of the world's Tamils, the banners and welcome arches put up seemed to have consciously avoided any controversial ``pro-Eelam'' slogans.

The processionists, however, looked to convey a different message. Police removing some of Mr. Prabhakaran's photographs with the LTTE insignia sold at Rs. 5 a piece, did not impede others from wearing it. ``I like Prabhakaran, he defends the Tamils,'' said an MDMK member.

Though the elderly MDMK partymen looked soberer, the fidelity with which others adhered to the slogans given by it to be raised in the rally, including the four on ``Eelam Tamils'', was a fair indication that it was not just a political show of strength.

As though there was a subtle link between the ``Tamil card'' and ``Hindutva'', at least one placard in the rally proclaimed Mr. Vaiko as the ``Tamils' hero'' and the BJP leader and the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, the ``Indians' hero''.

All this came to the fore after Mr. Vaiko told a group of reporters in the morning that while the party was concerned about the welfare of the Sri Lankan Tamils, it was ``not going to any extreme level''. Asserting that the MDMK was a ``responsible political party'' which would uphold with dignity ``the areas of agreement'' among the partners of the National Democratic Alliance coalition at the Centre, he said, ``we know the level of restraint to be observed''.

Mr. Vaiko's remarks assumed significance in view of the unprecedented security arrangements for the participation of the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, and other top NDA leaders tomorrow.

The DMK president and Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, the Union Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, and the Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, were the star speakers at a special session after the rally.

In an informal chat with reporters, Mr. Vaiko ruled out any discussion on the autonomy resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, but said the need for a Constitution review would be one of the resolutions to be adopted.

MDMK volunteers holding photographs of the LTTE leader, Mr. V. Prabhakaran, during a rally in Erode on Saturday. - Photo: M. Moorthy

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