Sri Lankan Tamils, the LTTE and The Hindu

BY s r ramanujan| IN Media Practice | 25/10/2008

Strangely, the AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa and The Hindu chief N Ram find themselves to be on the same side on the current political turmoil in Tamil Nadu on the issue of the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils. After the UPA coalition came to power in 2004, The Hindu rarely took on the DMK, a crucial alliance partner of the UPA who can make or break the alliance, especially after the Left withdrew outside support to the coalition. And now, the national daily from the South is a vehement critic of all those political formations and fringe groups in the state who want an escape route for the most dreaded terrorist outfit of the island nation – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is waging guerrilla warfare against the Sri Lankan Army.

Malini Parthasarathy of The Hindu family and a journalist with tremendous ideological commitments was the one to fire the first salvo against Tamil chauvinism prevalent among the Tamil Nadu politicians well before the much-touted "all-party resolution" demanding a ceasefire in Sri Lanka. In her edit page article "The dangers of Tamil chauvinism" (The Hindu Oct 14,2008), she wrote "Tamil Nadu politicians clearly have different standards for India and for Sri Lanka. It would appear that they accept that battling terrorism in India and saving Kashmir from Islamaist jihadis are important national tasks but not so in Sri Lanka which has been menaced for more than two decades by the LTTE. It was the LTTE which pioneered terrorism in South Asia and produced two generations of suicide bombers who have claimed numerous high-profile victims".

She also exposed the confusion deliberately created by Tamil Nadu political parties equating the human rights of Sri Lankan Tamils caught in the cross-fire with that of LTTE. She wrote "That the LTTE¿s shadow lurks behind this new campaign is evident in the demand of Dr Ramadoss that the Union Government recognise the ¿Eelam Tamils struggle for their rights¿"

This article was the provocation for some pro-LTTE outfits (of course, they are many in number) in the state to unleash violence against the daily in Coimbatore and Erode. Strictly speaking, The Hindu has been consistent in its opposition to LTTE for decades and the daily¿s editor-in-chief, a frequent visitor to the emerald nation, has the best of relations with the Sri Lankan establishment. Therefore, there was nothing new in the stand taken by the daily. But, the provocation for violence was because of the timing of the article.

As expected, N. Ram came out with a spirited defence calling those fringe groups as "foes of freedom of expression" (The Hindu Oct 17,2008).  He said "These chauvinistic tendencies are inimical to the interests of India". Anyway, it was a tight-rope walk for the daily since there is a sizeable section of the middle class in the state which is sympathetic towards the LTTE because of the political propaganda and the stand taken by some of the Tamil dailies. Added to this, a film by ¿Roja¿,¿Bombay¿ fame Maniratnam highlighting the armed struggle in the island nation and the resultant sufferings of the ordinary Tamils, changed their outlook towards the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Therefore, it was an unenviable task for the daily to stick to its principled editorial stand without alienating those sections that are sympathetic to the cause of Tamils. This must have prompted N Ram to carry an exclusive telephonic interview with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (Oct 17,2008) as the lead story to ward off  any criticism against the daily that it was not concerned about the plight of Tamils in the island. The President said in the interview that he was committed to political solution and ending Tamil civilian hardships. He also said: "We are sending them food. We are feeding the LTTE, in fact, we know that 70% of the food sent by the government goes to them". 

The next day (Oct 18) saw a long-winding edit "Sri Lanka: What needs to be done". It said "Now attempts are on, internationally and in Tamil Nadu, to craft a bailout package for the LTTE. Just what kind of political animal is the LTTE? The answer is straightforward. It is a dreaded terrorist organisation..." However, the edit ended with a soft note in a typical style of The Hindu. Talking about humanitarian assistance to the Tamils, it said "The Tamil Nadu government and political parties can make a handsome contribution to such a timely humanitarian project." Because of the fear of diversion of humanitarian aid to the LTTE, the edit added a rider. "It goes without saying  that India¿s assistance to the Tamils must be routed through the Sri Lankan government and coordinated with the UN and reliable international NGOs".

What must be said to the credit of the daily is that despite its firm and unambiguous stand against the LTTE and its supporters among the Tamil Nadu political parties, its coverage of the unfolding political scenario in the state was objective. It did carry stories like "What the rule book says on resignation of Lok Sabha MPs"(Oct 20,2008). It was an attempt to punch a hole into the resignation drama enacted under the guidance of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi. The daily also wanted to call the bluff of Tamil politicians who indirectly demanded  political legitimacy for the LTTE suggesting that this terrorist organisation represented the Tamils in Sri Lanka.  It carried a 8-column bottom spread inside, quoting Sri Lanka¿s foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama, who took pot shots at our National Security Adviser M K Narayanan for his ¿concern over the situation in the island nation¿.

The minister also said: "It is very important that all those who are concerned about Sri Lanka, including the welfare of the Tamil community, should perceive the marginalisation of the LTTE in the correct light. LTTE does not represent the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. Therefore, military action against the LTTE should never be perceived as action against our brethren, the Tamil community".

Interestingly, in this chauvinistic "melee" AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa, who normally never gets space that she deserves in the daily, found her statement on page one, with a picture to boot, because she alleged that "by demanding a ceasefire in Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi was trying to protect the LTTE". She also described the all-party resolution as "farce". Well, her party boycotted the meeting convened by the DMK chief anyway.  

At the same time, the daily gave a fair coverage while a section of the leaders of Tamil film industry took out a rally in Rameswaram in support of Sri Lankan Tamils. There was a page one picture with a story inside. According to the report, a few speakers appreciated the ultimatum given by chief minister to the Central Government to stop the war in Sri Lanka. The same three-column treatment was given to Dr Subramanian Swamy who demanded the dismissal of DMK government for "indulging in anti-national activities through its support to the banned LTTE.

As I conclude this, I have to add a short disconcerting note as I stumbled on a report by Coomi Kapoor carried by The Indian Express on December 12, 1997. While the source of the report was the depositions by various security and intelligence officials before  the Jain commission, which probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, the report basically exposed the Gandhis¿ links with the LTTE.

The Express report, quoting Jain Commission, said that "there was enough evidence to establish that successive Congress governments under the Gandhis were more culpable than any other administration for aiding and abetting the LTTE.

But, there was collateral damage in the report to Malini Parthasarathy who is now castigating the LTTE and blasting the Tamil politicians for their chauvinism. This is what the Express report culled out from the Jain Commission proceedings says: "Just three months before his death, Rajiv Gandhi met LTTE activist Kasi Anandan at his residence in Delhi. The meeting on March 5, 1991 was arranged through the good offices of Malini Parthasarathy of The Hindu newspaper. This has been confirmed not by just Kasi Anandan but by the state intelligence set up".

Of course, it doesn¿t suit Karunanidhi to rake up these issues at this point of time when so much water has already flown down the Koovam river and especially when the state Congress is on his side. What matters now for him is the elections early next year.