LTTEs end not a victory,give equal status to Tamils: Jaya

The silence on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue,one of the most explosive topics in Tamil Nadu till recently...

The silence on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue,one of the most explosive topics in Tamil Nadu till recently,was finally broken with AIADMK general secretary and Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa urging the Sri Lankan Government to ensure equality for the Lankan Tamils in a statement issued on Thursday.

“The problem in Sri Lanka was triggered only because the Tamils of the island were relegated,post-independence,to the status of secondary citizens in their own homeland. Decimation of the LTTE or the killing of its leaders will not wipe away the injustice meted out to this large community which had its roots in Sri Lanka,” she said.

“The end of the war does not signify victory; none has reasons to gloat over it. This is time for serious introspection,” said Jaya,who had promised to send the Indian army to create Eelam,a separate homeland for the Lankan Tamils,within Sri Lanka.

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“The Sri Lankan Government headed by President Mahinda Rajapakse should realise this basic truth and forthwith address all the genuine grievances of the oppressed Tamil community. Otherwise,history will repeat itself and more unrest and wanton killings will follow,” warned Jaya,a constant and consistent opponent of the LTTE since the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.

Taking a dig at the hard bargain for ministerial berths being enacted in Delhi,Jaya asked DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to look beyond his family and raise his voice for the Lankan Tamils while he was in the National Capital. “The Centre should also take up massive re-building and rehabilitation efforts in Sri Lanka as the Tamil areas have been destroyed in the war,” she said.

Till May 13,the day of the polling,the issue had taken precedence over all local issues and dominated the campaigns of all political outfits except the Congress.