CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Indian Government’s Prognosis for Fighting the Tigers; Belatedly Week-Kneed and Too Little Too Late

By Philip Fernando in Los Angeles (Former Deputy Editor Sunday Observer)

Two surprising developments in India’s stunned reaction to LTTE terror surprised no one. First, India's Defence Minister A.K. Antony assured the world that no fleeing Tamil Tiger insurgents escaping from the onslaught of the Sri Lanka armed forces will be allowed to take shelter in the coastal areas of India. Second, shocked by Velupillai Prabhakaran’s November 26th speech “where is the Tamil Nation for 80 million Tamils?’ an Indian Think-tanker Colonel Anil Athale (retired), is talking of India’s soft under-belly and prognosticating a new Indian policy. It is simple! It is too little too late. India has not taken a firm stand against the Tigers except to make pious pronouncements periodically, and turn a blind eye when Chennai government secretively aid and abet the Tigers. India must go for the belly of the beast and not make mere innocuous gestures.

Can India be so indifferent after the humiliation suffered at hands of terrorism? India lost Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi to terrorist. Yet it bestows avowed neutral status in the issue as Tigers gleefully act with reckless abandonment. Has senility taken root among the top Indian policy makers, including Sonia Gandhi?

Indian policy as stated by Colonel Anil Athale is full of myths. Here is why. Our learned Colonel Anil Athale (retired) coordinator of Initiative for Peace and Disarmament, a Pune-based think-tank states that “The unitary state mechanism in the hands of a predominantly Sinhala-Buddhist country is at the root of the problem in Sri Lanka. Facts prove otherwise. Tiger atrocities are not inherently the outcome of Sri Lanka’s unitary state whether in the hands of a Sinhala Buddhist or not. Tiger atrocities did not stop under Ranil Wickremesinghe’s peace talks.

For starters, the very federalism India speaks so highly of is nearly being threatened now. The stable federal Indian state is just sitting on top of a keg of gun powder with seething chauvinistic southern resentment brimming with near explosive fervour. Indian Federalism has not stopped ethnic clashes going berserk like a runway freight train several times in recent past. Punjab, Chennai or Bombay are examples. So why is India talking of federalism for Sri Lanka? Velupillai Prabhakaran’s avowed goal is to carve out a chunk of territory from India as the berthing ground for his beloved Dravidian Nation of 80 millions.

Myth No 2 “located at the apex of Indian Ocean, a friendly and peaceful Sri Lanka is essential for India's defence, if so, India would not act so flippantly.” Colonel Athale gives the answer himself when he stated that “Unfortunately, with our capital located in Delhi, the ruling establishment is often oblivious to the Indian Ocean.” Oblivious is too soft a word. If India wants a friendly Sri Lankan presence, get off your butt and rid the area of the Tigers and not just take a neutral stand. Stop pandering Karunanidhi in Chennai come election time and then talk of friendly Sri Lankan ties.

India in its diagnosis and remedy to the conflict in Sri Lanka has completely miss-characterized the conflict in Sri Lanka due to the faulty assumptions made by Indian policy makers. It is wrong to state that the problem in Sri Lanka is due to the fact that it is not a secular state. Like other developing countries, the process of economic development as well as nation building has often led to clashes between various groups. India has experienced this and so has Sri Lanka. Being secular or not is irrelevant.

Colonel Anil Athale also states that the “rise of Dravidian parties has ensured a competitive backing for the rights of the Sri Lanka Tamils. The late Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran went a step further and linked Tamil survival with Indian nationalism.” You hit the nail on the head Colonel. Your proposal for federalism for Sri Lanka --a Kashmir-like arrangement, where with Article 370, the Kashmiri identity is preserved, is plain baloney. You also are confused when you stated that a “three-language formula could solve the language issue.” There is a three language situation now. All three languages Sinhalese, Tamil and English are being used in the country to a greater degree than is even possible in India. Hindi-dominated theocratic New Delhi hierarchy is one of the causes of tension in India. Please stop pontificating with a vengeance.

Finally, the learned Colonel states” Sri Lanka needs to ensure equality before law for all citizens with no Sinhala bias. There should be open negotiations and a ceasefire. India could guarantee this accord. Sri Lanka has never shied away from talks with moderate Tamils.

The Colonel ominously adds “While many Tamils disagree with the means used by the Tigers and its fascist outlook, they nevertheless regard them as saviours in face of Sinhala chauvinism. This is the greatest strength of the Tigers and makes it possible for them to survive. There is no military solution to the underlying political problem, a fact well understood in India. You are wrong again.

A we speak the Sri Lankan Army Commander Sarath Fonseka announced that the nullification of the ruthless Tiger military machine will occur this year. The non-winnable war will end in Tiger extinction. We appreciate your attempt to come to grips with what India sees as a grave threat to India from the Tigers. We agree with you one hundred percent. The threat is there.

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