Karuna's U-turn on Prabhakaran

NI Wire

New Delhi

Mon, 20 Apr 2009: 

Taking a U-turn from his earlier stand on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi Monday said that he never disagreed on the fact that LTTE was a terrorist outfit, and one cannot forget that LTTE was behind former prime minister Rajiv Gandhrsquo;s death.

This statement of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo came in the wake of his previous statement in which Karunanidhi on Sunday in a television interview had reportedly said that Prabhakaran was not a terrorist, and he was his (Karuna’s) good friend.

This statement of DMK chief had not only invited political chaos in India and Sri Lanka but mortified its biggest ally in the state Congress – I.

After nudging Congress to clarify the statement on Prabhkaran and LTTE, Karunanidhi reinstated that Prabhakarn was a freedom fighter who later turned into a terrorist; his statement was misquoted yesterday.

“I never said LTTE is not a terror group… We cannot forgive the LTTE for killing Rajiv Gandhi…Sriperumbudur cannot be forgotten,” he clarified.

Moreover, he also said that he would keep asking for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka, where the military is preparing to crush the last LTTE bastion in Mullaitivu district.

Congress, on the other hand, had to come to the front and clarify the transparent view of Congress and DMK on LTTE and Prabhakaran on Sunday.

“Prabhakaran is a terrorist … and LTTE is a proscribed terrorist organisation. Congress and DMK are totally agreed on it,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi in New Delhi.

Earlier on Sunday, Karunanidhi favoured Prabhakaran and quoted him as his friend, while he also added that he would “deeply regret” if Prabhakaran got killed in fighting.

His statement, “Prabhakaran’s group has taken to terrorism but that is not his (Prabhakaran’s) fault”, drew strong criticism in Sri Lanka.