JOIN USAllaying apprehensions that its proposed ‘Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization (TESO) international conclave in August may drum up support for creation of an ‘independent Tamil Eelam State’ in Sri Lanka, the DMK on Monday made it categorically clear it had no such agenda.
Barely 24 hours after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram came calling on him on Sunday after the Centre extended its ban on LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) for another two years, DMK president M Karunanidhi said that the party did not subscribe to any “armed struggle for Tamil Eelam” in Sri Lanka.
Experience has shown that the ‘military power of the Sri Lankan Government’ was always superior to that of any militant group there, ensuring the former’s victory at the end, Karunanidhi told a news conference here to clarify certain issues on the TESO meet, in the light of reports on Chidambaram meeting him.
This has also been the experience the world over with other armed struggles as well and hence “we prefer a peaceful, non-violent path to ensure justice and equal rights to the Tamils in Sri Lanka,” Karunanidhi said. Thus, the main focus of the TESO conclave would be “not to make any declaration on Eelam or to launch agitations for it,” but to firm up peaceful initiatives for protecting and ensuring the livelihood security of the war-torn Tamils, he said.
Disclosing that a galaxy of political leaders from across India and abroad would be attending the ‘TESO’ meet, he said they included the NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, Lok Janashakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan, besides scores of leaders and MPs of various Tamil parties in Sri Lanka and representatives of Tamil outfits voicing the anguished Tamil diaspora abroad.
Denying that the DMK had watered down its position on the Tamil Eelam issue due to Centre’s pressure, Karunanidhi said Chidambaram had merely made a courtesy call on him on Sunday and did not discuss any political issues.
Declining to comment on the Centre banning the LTTE again for two more years, Karunanidhi said the reasons for it was a “Government-to-Government matter.” However, “my party and I are not for giving any room for any extremism or armed struggle on Tamil Nadu soil,” he declared.
Stating that even Congress leaders would be invited for the ‘TESO Conference’, Karunanidhi said that ‘Tamil Eelam’ was an “ideal”, which if realized would not be opposed by anybody. “But now the long-suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka urgently needed a balm to ease their pain and resume their normal lives,” he said.
Karunanidhi also released the ‘TESO Conference’ theme-paper which made no mention of ‘Tamil Eelam’.