Jayalalithaa dubs invite to Sri Lankan Prez for Modi’s swearing-in as 'unfortunate'

Chennai: Dubbing as "unfortunate" the Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi's invite to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his May 26 swearing-in, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said the "ill-advised" move could have been avoided as it amounted to "rubbing salt into the wounds of the already deeply injured Tamil psyche."

The AIADMK supremo, who expressed dismay over reports that the Sri Lankan President had been invited and that he had accepted it, said it would have been better if this move had been avoided.

While the sentiments of Tamils living in India and elsewhere towards the Sri Lankan Tamils were known, a change of regime at the Centre "in no way alters the already existing strained relations between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka", she said in a statement on Thursday.

Jayalalithaa recalled the various resolutions passed in the state Assembly demanding an economic embargo on Sri Lanka among others over the alleged war crimes by the island nation's Army under the Rajapaksa Government against Tamils there during the final stages of "civil war".

While the UPA Government "chose to ignore" the resolutions by not acting on them, there was a hope that the new regime would be sympathetic to the Sri Lankan Tamil cause, she added.

However, even before the new government assumed office, this "unfortunate move" of inviting Rajapaksa "has deeply upset the people of Tamil Nadu and wounded their sentiments all over again. This is tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of the already deeply injured Tamil psyche," she claimed.

"It is with a deep sense of anguish that we point this out to the new government to be formed at the Centre.

Particularly, with regard to the relationship of the new Central Government with the Government of Tamil Nadu, it would have been better if this ill advised move had been avoided," she added.

Simultaneously, DMK also criticised the move saying, Modi could have "avoided" inviting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse for his May 26 swearing-in ceremony, saying the BJP leader should "understand the feelings" of people of Tamil Nadu.

The fact that the Sri Lankan leader was invited as part of BJP's decision to invite all SAARC nations failed to cut ice with the Karunanidhi-led party, with senior leader T K S Elangovan insisting that people in the state were "charged with anger" against Colombo for alleged human rights violations on the ethnic minority there.

"Rajapakse is part of SAARC union, so they might have sent the invitation. But the Prime Minister (designate-Modi) should also understand the feelings of people of Tamil Nadu," Elangovan, DMK's Organising Secretary and also party's spokesperson, said.

He said Tamils in the island nation were "attacked and human rights violations" against them were happening and most countries had criticised such activities.

"People of Tamil Nadu are charged with anger. He (Modi) could have avoided (inviting Rajapakse)," he said.

MDMK, an ally of BJP, had already opposed Rajapakse's participation in Modi's swearing-in but other major NDA constituents in the state--DMDK and PMK, are yet to make their stand official on this matter.

In a letter to Modi, MDMK chief Vaiko requested the Prime Minister-designate to "avoid" the presence of Rajapakse in his swearing-in ceremony on May 26 and said he was saddened by news reports about the invitation being extended to the Sri Lankan leader.

Vaiko alleged that the Rajapakse government "committed the unpardonable crime of genocide of hundreds and thousands of innocent Tamils" in the island nation.

He also accused the UPA government of offering military and logistic support to Sri Lanka.

"... I would request you to extend the rays of hope to our Tamil people by totally avoiding the presence of Mahinda Rajapakse in the significant event of swearing in ceremony," Vaiko wrote.