Chennai: The fall of Mahinda Rajapaksa will ‘orphan’ the political leaders and ‘Tamil nationalists’ in Tamil Nadu at least for some time until they can discover reasons to crucify successor Maithripala Sirisena. For these Tamil leaders, the Sri Lankan issue has long been a readymade recipe for dishing out emotional speeches, statements and public agitations, and Mahinda has long been the most favoured punching bag.
But now these leaders in Tamil Nadu may find themselves suddenly emptied of the Eelam gas. The new President, Sirisena, cannot be denied his honeymoon period even by the loudest among the Tamil campaigners here because the Tamil National Alliance ruling Northern Province in Sri Lanka has embraced the affable Sinhala. If Sirisena made no pre-poll offers for the Tamils that was understandable. He did not want Mahinda’s campaigners to accuse him of making deals with the Tamils for their votes at the cost of Sri Lankan unity and integrity.
But sources insist that he as his bosses in the Opposition camp, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe have pledged friendship with the Tamils of Lanka as well as with the Modi administration. It remains to be seen whether the leaders in Tamil Nadu will now lift the ‘ban’ on the visitors from the island such as Buddhist monks coming for pilgrimage and sportsmen arriving for tournaments. With TNA endorsing Sirisena, it is only fair that this must be considered.
Also, it must be interesting to watch the developments on the TN fishermen issue. Actually, the representatives of the fishermen of southern Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka were willing to sort out differences across the table but it appears that some political leaders on this side of the Palk Strait were unwilling to let go their pet campaign theme.
