Like Manmohan, Sonia too refuses to back Tamil Eelam demand

Sonia GandhiBy M Rama Rao, India Editor, Asian Tribune

New Delhi, 11 May (Asiantribune.com): A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pooh-poohed the 'Eelam' for Lanka Tamils, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi endorsed his stand publicly to set at rest any lingering doubts about the Delhi stand.

'As the Prime Minister has said and as has been the stand of the Congress party, our ultimate goal is to secure for the Tamil people equal status and equal rights within the framework of the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord', Sonia Gandhi declared with the DMK patriarch Muthavel Karunanidhi by her side at an election rally in Chennai.

The Congress party has mounted a high voltage campaign firstly to blunt the criticism that Delhi has done precious little to help Lanka Tamils and secondly to project the plank of Jayalalithaa and Co for a separate Lankan Tamil Eelam as a hollow poll rhetoric. Rahul Gandhi, the Congress crown prince led the charge three days back. He was quickly followed by Prime Minister. Now it was the turn of Sonia Gandhi herself. Her visit was planned for last week but was rescheduled to suit the convenience of Karunanidhi, who is not keeping well.

The Congress chief did not touch upon the Eelam demand per say conscious that her ally DMK also has joined the chorus to match byte-for-byte with the opposition led by AIADMK and PMK, who have in a manner of speaking have stolen the DMK thunder. But Sonia Gandhi left no doubt as to what the Congress stands for with her emphasis on a solution within the framework of the Indo-Sri Lankan accord of 1987, conceived by her late husband Rajiv Gandhi when he was the Prime Minister.

Significantly, the Congress president, who also heads the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) took full credit for the safety zones in war –torn Lanka. Her message was simple and straight: The Congress and the Government in Delhi did everything they could under the circumstances to mitigate the hardships of Lanka Tamils. Also that it is not correct to allege, as AIADMK et al contend that Delhi remained in active while Tamil homes in Lanka were caught in cross-fire.

Going by the tone and tenor of Sonia Speak, it appears the Congress has made up its mind to disappoint AIADMK supremo, Jayalalithaa, who is keen to court the Congress after the elections. One reason for hardening of the Congress stand in favor of DMK, is the unpredictable and mercurial temperament of Jayalalithaa as an ally besides the ‘unreasonableness’ of Jaya’s pre-condition for her support -namely sending Indian Army to Lanka to create a Tamil Elam.

DMK has turned out to be the best ally the Congress could ever bargain for in the crucial Tamil Nadu state. Karunanidhi has acted as an elder statesman of the country and never as a regional satrap hungry to get his pound of flesh, to quote a senior Congress leader in Delhi. The Congress thinking was very clear to anyone who heard Sonia Gandhi. She showered praise on Karunanidhi hailing him as the architect the Democratic Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu. She rubbished the third front as a house of pack of cards.

It is due to our Government’s resolute efforts; Sonia Gandhi told the rally, the Government in Sri Lanka has moved the affected Tamils to the safety zones and announced the conclusion of combat operations. She shared the ‘deep pain and anguish’ of the Tamil Nadu people over the plight of ‘thousands caught in the cross-fire’, and assured all help to the victims. ‘We are determined to carry forward our humanitarian work’.

-Asian Tribune -