By Charles.S.Perera

 A letter is a written message to a person or other.  It could be an indignant message  or a dignified message.  Love is an adjective which expresses great sentiment of affection. It could mean attachment to a person or could  as well mean sexual intercourse-to make love.  It also has more human connotations such as  liking some one, devotion  to a mother or a teacher or  protection as for a child or a wife.  Spiritually it means loving kindness- a love which is generous  without expecting or demanding any thing in return.

 A love letter is a personal written message  to a loved one expressing sentiments of affection. The words love letter ”could also be used by some one who writes to express indignation of  a  writer to mean an ordinary official letter  written by that person ironically as a love letter”. Normally why such twisted meaning of a  word was used as an adjective could be understood from the message it follow.

 Recently an  unfortunate misunderstanding  had taken place in the title of an article which read, How meaningful are Jayalalitha’s love letters to Narendra Modi”.  The title itself is not derogatory  if read in its right sense, without taking it out of context.  Any one knows that Jayalalitha is incapable of writing love letters, as she is a person harbouring too much of hatred as far as Sri Lanka is concerned .  Jayalalitha had been a sworn enemy of Sri Lanka government defending the Tamil Community in Sri Lanka. She wanted terrorism in Sri Lanka to continue to finally allow a separation for the terrorists to establish a Tamil State.

 In order to fulfil that  desire for the success of the Sri Lanka terrorists, she did every thing possible to force  the India Central Government to intervene in  the Government of Sri Lanka’s war against the terrorists and stop it.  The Congress government was a coalition dependent on the support of the Tamil Nadu for its being in power.  Therefore, Congress Party  was willing to do every thing possible to please the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalitha to keep her within the coalition. 

 The Congress Government of Manmohan Singh was practically dancing to her tune giving into almost all her desires”.  During the terrorist war  India  came to Sri Lanka to demand  a Cease Fire. India refused to sell arms to Sri Lanka. India even asked Sri Lanka not to buy weapons from China or Pakistan.  India sold second hand radar equipment that could not detect low flying terrorist planes.  All that was to please Jayalalitha to keep her in the coalition. India Central Government of Manmohan Singh blindly followed her whims and fancies. 

 Even the  Indian  votes for the USA resolutions against Sri Lanka, and Manmohan Sing’s boycott of  the CHOGM were due to the pressure bought upon the Congress government by this TamilNadu Chief Minister  Jayalalitha.  She twice turned away Sri Lanka sports teams from Tamil Nadu, without allowing them to compete in Chenai. She refused to allow Sri Lanka Military personnel to be trained in South Indian Military Camps.

 Both Karunannidhi, and Jayalalith were controlling the Indian Foreign Policy vis a vis Sri Lanka.  The  sentimental emotions of the  Tamil people of TamilNadu  was whipped against Sri Lanka by the these two –Karunanidhio and Jayalalitha.  There were two incidents in which Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka were attacked by Tamil Nadu Tamil thugs and beaten up in the presence unfriendly crowds. 

 The situation after one such attack was  reported as follows: ……….Archaeological Dept officials took Gnanaloka Thera and other ASI students out through a rear door and put them aboard two vans. The bhikku got out of his robes on the advice of the Police and changed into ordinary garb. The activist group came to know of what was happening and ran to the vehicles. The Police prevented them from going close to the vehicles. Police also provided security to the two vehicles as the demonstrators started screaming loudly. Two Police vehicles at the front and back escorted the two ASI Vans out of the Temple vicinity……….”

  The MDMK-NTK activists concealed themselves in strategic positions close to the roundabout near the Ariyamangalam dairy farm. As the vehicles slowed down at the roundabout  the Tamil activists emerged suddenly with sticks and stones and blocked the vehicles. They started shouting anti-Rajapaksa slogans and started attacking the vehicles with the ASI students. Glass shattered as the side windows cracked. Rotten eggs were thrown in. The students inside cowered in fear as a few thugs poked sticks and tried to hit them. Fortunately Gnanaloka Thera could not be identified by the mob as he was now in civilian clothing…..”

 It was never reported that the Indian Government had  apologised for those incidents

 Jayalalith did not stop at that :

 The Chief Minister has also slammed the Centre for allowing the Sri Lankan players to undergo training and develop their skills in India.”

 The latest incident comes just over a week after Ms Jayalalithaa asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to halt an ongoing training programme for two Sri Lankan defence personnel at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington near Ooty. In a strongly-worded letter, she had demanded for the immediate sending back of the two defence personnel, alleging that the training “has been mischievously concealed from my government, showing scant regard for the views of my government as well as for the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu.”

 Last month, the Chief Minister had opposed a similar training programme for nine Sri Lankan Air Force personnel at the Tambaram Air Force Station in Chennai. In view of her stiff opposition and protests from other parties in the state including ally DMK, the Centre had been forced to move them to the Yelahanka Airforce Station in Bengaluru in order to enable them to complete their training. Ms Jayalalithaa had dubbed the move as “not proper”, adding that “instead of sending these personnel back to Sri Lanka, the Government of India exhibited excessive enthusiasm and concern for these personnel”. Ms Jayalalithaa had then described it as “anti- Tamil” and said “Tamils want action against Sri Lanka for war crimes and they will not accept this” and that “Tamils even suspect whether the Centre is acting against them”.

  After expressing her strong displeasure over Sri Lankan defence personnel undergoing training in her state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has now ordered for sending back two Sri Lankan football teams which were undergoing training in Chennai.

The directive from the Chief Minister came after one of the teams, Royal College of Colombo, played a match against the Chennai Customs team at a stadium in the city on Friday. Ms Jayalalithaa has also ordered the suspension of a stadium official for allowing the soccer team to play the “friendly” tie, alleging that he insulted Tamils” (NDTV Sports)

 Not withstanding all that  the Sri Lanka under 15 cricket team that came to participate in a tournament in Chenai was immediately packed away to Sri Lanka on the orders of Jayalalitha.

 So it is normal that no Sri Lankan holds in esteem the TamilNadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha. CM Jayalalitha who has now lost the  political power she held over Manmohan Singh Government to change the Foreign Policies of India vis a vis Sri Lanka, starts writing letters to Prime Minister Modi  as to what actions the Central Government should take against Sri Lanka for its Navy arresting the Tamil Nadu fishermen straying into Sri Lanka waters and confiscating their trawlers. 

 A Sri Lankan journalist who was not satisfied  that  despite a new BJP Government  coming into power  Jayalalitha is trying to use the  same old  tactics she used with the Congress Party Government to make the PM Modi  also change India Foreign policy vis a vis Sri Lanka as she-Jayalalitha wants it to be.

 This journalist Shenali Waduge therefore wrote an article divulging the reality of the situation which is that the  TamilNadu Trawler mafia forcing  the TamilNadu fishermen to poach in Sri Lanka waters, as there are no fish to catch in the Indian side of the sea. There are no fish in the Indian side of the sea water due to the use of internationally banned bottom trawlers.  Sri Lanka arrested the  TamilNadu fishermen poaching in Sri Lanka waters, but released them confiscating the boats, as it is the boat owners  who are responsible for making the TamilNadu fishermen use their boats to poach in Sri Lank waters.  This practice has deprived the Sri Lanka Tamil fishermen who Jayalalitha says she defends of their lawful fishing in the  side of the sea waters that belong to them.

This is what the writer pointed out adding that , When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is aware that the Tamil Nadu fishermen are violating internationally demarcated waters and poaching while also using internationally banned bottom trawlers, it is unjustified to ask the Indian Prime Minister to take action against Sri Lanka. Obviously she is attempting to dent the popularity of the Indian Prime Minister while also disturb the amity that is being built between the two nations. Her actions are obviously aligned to the undiplomatic and unscrupulous policies followed by the Sonia-led Congress Government where the Central Government of India was virtually kept strangulated and on a noose by successive Tamil Nadu Governments.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister may learn sooner than later that Narendra Modi is not a puppet to dance to her tantrums or threats. She should not attempt to embarrass Mr. Modi by her unjustified outbursts. It will not look good on the new Indian Prime Minister if he were to demand that Indian fishermen be allowed to cross the IMBL into Sri Lankan waters….is this the mischief that Jayalalitha is upto? ”

When it was reported that Jayalalitha’s had sent a  letter to Prime Minister Modi, requesting him  to get the Government of Sri Lanka to release the confiscated boats. The writer of the supposed to be derogatory letter Waduge gave it a very forceful title, How meaningful are Jayalalitha’s love letters to Narendra Modi.”  It was not meant to insult the PM Modi nor does it mean Jayalalitha was actually writing a love letter to PM Modi !! but that her letters are to bring PM Modi to her way of thinking as she did with Manmohan Sing.

It was not a matter out of which to  make a diplomatic issue because it appeared in the Defence Ministry Website.  The Cartoon that had also been published are mere  cartoons and no intelligent persons will take them as deliberate insults. Normally they are taken with the humour in which they had been presented.  Going by the contents of the letter there is even no need for an apology.

What is important is not the title of the article but what it contains which should be directed to the Prime Minister Modi.