Shenali D Waduge

In a slap to Sri Lanka’s hospitality, the Indian PM chose to single out only Tamils who account for less than 2.5million in an island of 22million asking the Govt to fulfill the aspirations of only Tamils. Sadly, he said after accepting a prestigious award by the Sri Lankan President. As far as we know Sri Lanka remains a sovereign state, no Sri Lankan leader tells Indian govt how to treat Indian citizens in India. If Mr. Modi feels that the Sri Lankan Tamils are not happy in Sri Lanka, Mr. Modi is more than welcome to give residency in Tamil Nadu to Tamils in Sri Lanka. Let us see how many will accept such an offer. Citizens in Sri Lanka have been living in harmony & that harmony has only been dented by external indoctrinations & poisons fed into the minds of people. There would have been no armed struggle or LTTE had India not secretly trained Tamil youth in India. There would have been no bloodshed or terror beyond May 1987 had Prabakaran been allowed to be captured. Even Rajiv Gandhi would have been alive today.

Thus, the armed militancy had nothing to do with Tamil aspirations & everything to do with India’s aspirations.

The Indo-Lanka Accord, the mention of Trinco Port, Trinco Oil Tanks had nothing to do with the Accord, its annexure but were only mentions in a letter from India PM Rajiv Gandhi to Sri Lankan President JR Jayawardena. These were India’s aspirations not Tamils or even LTTE.

Road, rail, ferry, bridge – all these connectivity’s are not part of Tamil aspirations but India’s aspirations & part of a new ideological Arkhand Bharath initiative.

Therefore, are Sri Lankan Tamil aspirations the same as that of India’s geopolitical aspirations?

Why does Indian Govt worry about Sri Lankan Tamils aspirations” & not about the aspirations of 80million Tamils in Tamil Nadu?

We have been repeatedly asking to clearly lay out what are the grievances of Tamils that are exclusive to them & not shared by the other citizens. As per our constitution, no community can be treated differently where the law must apply equally. So far other than some issues about getting letters in Sinhalese language nothing substantiate has been forth coming. In that case the Sinhalese, especially the Sinhalese children living in the North have a long list of grievances where they are administratively discriminated. Why doesn’t anyone speak on behalf of them?

Who can present a list of grievances that only Tamils suffer that Sinhalese, Muslims or Burghers do not also suffer which warrant a demand for a separate mono-religious state?

No Tamil can claim to have suffered the way the Blacks were treated in US, UK & western countries or how Blacks lived under apartheid rule in their own land. Those who are history savvy should read up on how Blacks were treated & continue to be treated in the West.

Aspirations are vague – aspirations differ from person to person. No Govt can meet aspirations of all its citizens.

The aspiration for a Tamil homeland was first mooted by the TULF & hijacked by Prabakaran to justify armed militancy. All he wanted to initially do was go against the caste system of which he was victim. Prabakaran’s aspiration was to reign supreme over his people as a despot & all Tamils lived in fear under his rule, so much so that all of the present overseas LTTE fronts only established themselves after his death. Had they independently set themselves up, they would have faced their waterloo like many Tamils did. Ironically, it is only those living overseas holding foreign passports who are wailing for a Tamil Eelam. Those that do so in Sri Lanka are the hired lot emerging only before Geneva sessions or when some handout is given.

We have always wanted to know why India started to train Tamil youth in guerilla warfare. We have yet to receive an answer. However, the oft quoted reason is that India wanted to palm off India’s headache in Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka.

What was that headache? That headache was the self-determination bid.

The same ethnic group cannot evolve in 2 different countries & claim self-determination in 2 different countries using the same arguments?

Which brings us to the question which country Tamils were first birthed in. This brings us to Tamil Nadu, thus the original demand for self-determination by Tamils began in 1938 in Tamil Nadu & not Sri Lanka.

Madras Province (Tamil Nadu, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala) was ruled by British. Tamil Nadu spoke Tamil, Andhra Pradesh spoke Telugu, Karnataka spoke Kannada, Kerala spoke Malayalam.

The other parts of Andhra, Karnataka & Kerala were ruled by Kings. These kings were subservient to the British.

Madras Province became Madras State in 1947 after Indian independence.

It is also important to note that the term Dravida Nadu was coined by colonial missionaries Bishop Caldwell as part of divide & rule mischief. In all probability the Tamil Eelam homeland” must have also been coined & promoted via missionaries who were very active in Sri Lanka.

It would be worthwhile to see the actual missionary brains behind these homeland” movements though India is using the same to advance its empire building agenda.

The Justice Party was formed by Periyar E V Ramaswamy in 1925.

In August 1938 T P Vedachalam of the Justice Party founded Tamil National Liberation Association.

The Justice Party was renamed Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. Dravidar Kazahagam was an offshoot of the Self Respect Movement.

Dravida Munnertra Kazhagam (DMK) was formed on 17 September 1949 by C N Annadurai.

T M Parthasarathy of DMK went on to say Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra should each SEPARATELY become independent countries and THEN the four should join to form a ‘Dravidian Federation”.

Then on 18 December 1949 S J V Chelvanayagam formed ITAK (Federal Party) calling for a Tamil State in Sri Lanka.

But, it was Periyar & Annadurai who called for Tamil Nadu independence in December 1938. Periyar declared the aim was the separation of Tamil Nadu from the rest of India.

Addressing a meeting in October 1938, Periyar declared

The best way to preserve the liberty of Tamils is to agitate for separation from the rest of India and the proposed All-India Federation”.

Tamil Nadu’s bid for self-determination has been a long process:-

British India” was formed putting together independent princely kingdoms and territories.

Tamils lost their sovereignty with the fall of the 3 major kingdoms of Chera, Chola and Pandya around 1311 by Sultans, Nayaks, Maharaashtrians & Nawabs followed thereafter by arrival of Europeans – all of Tamil Nadu was ruled by colonial Britain while Pondycherry was ruled by the French.

1947 – At independence, Muslims in northwest and northeast objected to the creation of one country and so Britain created 2 countries – Pakistan & India. Tamil Nadu objected to this though Britain ignored this.

1938 August – Formation of Tamil National Liberation Association (Tamil Desa Viduthalai Sangam) by T P Vedachalam of the Justice Party became the 1st Tamil Nadu independence movement.

1938 October – E V Ramaswamy (Self-Respect Movement & later leader of Justice Party which became DK in 1944) declared the best way to preserve the liberty of Tamils is to agitate for separation from the rest of India and the proposed All-India Federation”.

10 December 1939 C N Annadurai (founder of DMK) demanded independence – ‘Tamil Nadu for Tamils’

17 December 1939 Periyar of DK raised slogan Dravida Nadu for Dravidians” changing his earlier Tamil Nadu for Tamils’ but changed again to Tamil Nadu for Tamils’ in 1960s evidenced in the Viduthalai magazine. Periyar died in 1973.

27 December 1939 – Provincial Tamil Conference in Vellore discussed Tamil Nadu independence.

24 August 1940 – Justice Party State Conference in Thiruvarur passed a resolution that to protect Dravidian culture, arts and economy Dravidian homeland of Madras Province needed. Thus the Tamil Nadu Independence Movement transgressed into Dravida Nadu Independence Movement. (refer article on DMK & the Tamil Nadu Independence Movement”) From 1940 – 1962 calls for Dravida Nadu by DMK. The reason for this is said to be due to Telugu leaders A C Parthasarathy Naidu, Ragavaiah Naidu, K V Reddy Naidu all striving for Dravida Nadu independence.

The British delegation (Cripps Mission) that came in 1942 refused the request for a separate Tamil state upon Indian independence.

1944 – C N Annadurai at DK Conference in Trichi India is a continent and it should be divided into separate nations(countries).” There is no need for it to be under a single government”. India should be divided according to racial lines to prevent future bloodsheds”. Aryan dominance grows under a single Indian country. Other races are destroyed”. Dividing India into separate countries would allow for each to develop its economy according to its circumstances and prevent one region taking the wealth of another”.

14 October 1947 – Dravida Nadu Separation Conference held in Cuddalore, Tamil scholar V Kalyana Sundaram speaking about Aryan-Dravidian problem. Resolution calling for Dravida Nadu independence passed.

V Kalyana Sundaram unveiled a map of Dravida Nadu at Dravidar Kazhagam Conference in Erode.

8 November 1950 – Madras State DMK Students Conference passed resolution for the independence of Dravida Nadu.

12-16 December 1951 – DMK State Conference called for ‘Dravida Nadu for Dravidians’

DMK leaders demanded independent Dravida Nadu during 1952, 1957 and 1962 election campaigns.

13-16 July 1961 – DMK General Conference in Madurai called for ‘Dravida Nadu for Dravidians’

16-17 December 1961 – DMK Special Election Conference in Coimbatore ahead of February 1962 General Elections called for ‘Dravida Nadu for Dravidians’. DMK won 50 seats at the State Legislative Assembly & 7 seats in the Indian Parliament. DMK founder C N Annadurai was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962 and in his May 1st maiden speech he reiterated demand for ‘Dravidians demand the right of self-determination….we want a separate country for Southern India’ His response to Indian President Dr. Radhakrishnan who said India was one country because Rama & Krishna are worshipped from Kanyakumari to Himalayas was Jesus is worshipped throughout Europe, yet there are many countries in Europe”.

11 August 1962 – What is noteworthy is that when a by-election was held in Thiruchengodu following the resignation of Dr. Subarayan of Congress Party, Congress leaders campaigned asking people not to vote for DMK as it was a separatist party but the DMK candidate won leading to DMK leaders claiming it was a victory for ‘independence’.

22 September 1962 – DMK celebrated ‘Dravida Nadu Independence Festival’ in Chennai with over 200,000 participating.

1963 – Bids for separate independent Dravida Nadu & Tamil Nadu had to be abandoned when Indian Centre passed 16th amendment prohibiting anyone to advocate separatism.

13 November 1963 – DMK abandoned independence for Dravida Nadu after Indian Centre threatened to ban it from contesting elections if it continued with the independence demand.

However, the 1967 election manifesto of DMK included the demand for increasing the devolution of powers of state governments. It won them a landslide victory no different to how TULF in SL won following the racist/separatist Vaddukoddai Resolution in 1976.

1994 – Poet Pavalareru carried sentiment of freedom for Tamil Nadu till his death in 1994.

However, Thamizaharasan formed the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) in the mid-1980s though he was killed by the Indian Army though the group remains active.

As Mr. Modi can see there is a very active self-determination movement in Tamil Nadu. Sri Lanka’s only openly began in 1976 with the Vaddukoddai Resolution.

It is also important for Mr. Modi to realize that when their innocent” demand to cede was rejected, they changed tactics to ask for devolution without interference by the Centre. This is what they are seeking via 13^thamendment which India is the architect of. It is also India asking for PC elections to be held, knowing that the separatist components are seeking autonomy of governance without interference of Colombo.

Exactly, what is India planning?

Whose side is India on?

By meeting only, a bunch of racist & opportunist Tamil politicians what is the message PM Modi is giving to the Tamils?

Take each of these Tamil leaders & the votes they have obtained. It is hardly anything to boast of. They are only in Parliament due to the proportional representation system.

More questions to answer

Where did the ethnic group Tamils” originate”?

Where did the Tamil culture” originate

Where did Tamil language” originate

Where these originated, is where the right to self-determination is allowed. That place is nowhere else but Tamil Nadu.

What about the aspirations of these 80million or more Tamils?

Will Mr. Modi fulfill their aspirations first, given the quest for separatism began in Tamil Nadu.

One & the same ethnic group cannot demand several mono-ethnic homelands in different continents/countries. If allowed, it will only create an ugly precedence.

Shenali D Waduge