Ravanas land and Tamil
Nadu politicians: a brief history
C. Wijeyawickrema
We are helping Tamilnadu to achieve
self-rule
V. Balakumaran, Advisor to Prabakaran, (Jan. 2006)
"There is no state without a Tamil, but there is no state for
the Tamils."
World Confederation of Tamils (2006) (www.tamilnation.org)
If the Tamils cry for separatism is given up, the two
communities could solve their problems and continue to live in amity
and dignity
M. C. Sansoni, former CJ (Sessional Paper No. 7 of 1980)
Introduction
Mr. Sathseesan Kumaarans (SK) short essay in the Island (Feb
13, 2008) on the topic of Indian (Tamil Nadu) politicians,
covered two items: (1) highly opportunistic behavior of Tamil Nadu
politicians and (2) high hopes among the Tamil Nadu people
(of an Eelam?). Because Tamil Nadu politics is a life and death issue
for the Sri Lankans this topic deserves further objective analysis.
A separate country for the Tamils is a lively and a permanent feature
in TN politics. It thus runs deeper than the surface behavior of its
current political actors/actresses mentioned by SK. One could say
90% of Tamil Nadu politics is a cinema by ex-film stars who played
the movie role of the Tamil version of Ravana, the hero, before getting
into politics. It is as if separatism is in their (politicians)
DNA.
Paradigm shifts
While in Sri Lanka politicians talked about paradigm shifts from an
Eelam to an F model, in Tamil Nadu the separatist paradigm
had been in existence since 1917 never changed. In fact, it was even
temporarily transferred to Sri Lanka as DMK when it faced a mild ban
in India under the 16th Indian Constitutional Amendment in 1963 which
outlawed politicians or political parties promoting it. Nehru suddenly
got the wake up call by the sudden electoral gains by DMK in 1962.
Nehru gathered political courage to fight against the Tamil separatist
agenda with the nationalism surge after the Chinese captured Indian
border regions in 1962. But after 1963, the independence movement
changed from anti-India to an anti-Hindi campaign.
There was also no shift in the thinking pattern of the small Tamil
separatist cell in Sri Lanka operating from Colombo since the separatist
fever reached Ceylon in 1918 from Tamil Nadu. With the governor Manning
actively behind it during 1921-24, this became an official fever via
a concept of balanced representation supported by both
Tamil and Sinhala Colombo politicians (ref. Communalism and language
in the politics
of Ceylon, by Robert Kearney, 1967, page 37). In 1928 and in 1944
two royal commissions rejected it but it was resurrected in 1949 as
the Tamil state party (ITAK).
In a way the 1956 Sinhala Only (with Reasonable use of Tamil Language
Act of 1958) Act was a reaction to Tamil separatist politics by the
Colombo-living Tamil politicians who copied unfairly the separatist
agitation in Tamil Nad. While in Tamil Nadu it was anti-Brahmin and
anti-Hindi in Ceylon it was dominated by Tamil Christians. Thus in
July 1947, SJV Chelvanayagam proposed merger of Tamil Nad and Tamil
state in Ceylon. In November 1947, Chelvanayagams speech at
Trincomalee promised to snatch Trincomalee from the Sinhala
enemies and deliver it to Nehru for Indias security if Nehru
so asked. The famous Malyalee Indian diplomat K. M. Panikkar
once said Trincomalee is Indias jewel.
A prison called homeland
After the Vaddukoddai resolution in 1976 separatism took the form
of a traditional Tamil homeland in the Eastern Province. This is why
despite all the good behavior of Mr. Anandasangaree, lately, unless
he gives up the Tamil homeland idea he would continue to remain as
a prisoner of Tamil separatism which is buried but not dead. Any F
formula mixed with a homeland idea is fuel and fire. Thus when he
warns India of the dire consequences to India itself if Eelam terrorists
are not removed from India, he does not realize that the idea of a
Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka is equally deadly to India as well as
to Sri Lanka. He is obviously concerned with what Balakumaran said
above, but he has no control over what the world confederation of
Tamils say.
Mr. A and the other moderate Tamils are still ignoring
the golden advice given by the Burgher Chief Justice in 1980 which
Col. Karuna interpreted in 2007 asgive us what Colombo
gets. Karuna was only repeating what the Youth Commission Report
said in March 1990kolambata kiri apita kakiri (Sessional Paper
No. 1 of 1990, p. xvii). The sooner the moderate Tamils
look at the economic plight of the village Tamil (as well as the village
Sinhala and Muslim), the easier for them to come out of the prison
of a separate Tamil homeland. On the other hand, under a language-blind
devolution system, each Tamil household, each Tamil village and even
the Northern Province itself could become a Tamil cultural-aspirations
center with ties to the real Tamil homeland in Tamil Nadu. The ties
are not just matrimonial. Tamils in Jaffna used to go by boat to Tamil
Nadu coast to see newly released Tamil movies in the afternoon and
return home early hours of next day!
Ravana versus Ramayana
The two separatist rivers in Ceylon and Tamil Nadu ran parallel mingling
with each other until 1963 when an amendment to the Indian constitution
made it a criminal act to talk about separatism by politicians (not
by others such as writers). Then the poison water was transferred
to Lanka and after 1978 (beginning of JRJ-IndiraG family feud) it
was the Lanka river that rejuvenated the Tamilnadu river. In the late
1950s the poison water in Tamilnadu was sprayed on the walls with
a Dravida Kazagham proverb, When you meet a Brahmin and a snake,
kill the Brahmin first.
For the Lankan river and the Tamilnadu masses the Tamil separatist
master E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker twisted the Rama-Ravana story in the
Hindu epic Maha Bharatha so that Shivaji Ganeshan and MG Ramachandran
(born in Kandy) were able to act as folk hero-Tamil Ravana in low-budget
movies watched in Madras, Jaffna and Dehiwala as well as in Indian
estate worker line-towns such as Hatton. Naicker concluded, Rama
and Sita are despicable characters
Ravana, on the other hand,
is a Dravidian of excellent character. The boys
in Sri Lanka with their Chola empire symbols are thus good Ravanas
in the eyes of an average Tamil Nadu Tamil. There are about 30 Ravana-Seetha
sites identified in Sri Lanka.
Chronology of the Separatist
Paradigm (Dravidasthan)
E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker, born in 1879, married at the age of 13, became
a sannyasi 6 years later, started the Dravidian Federation (DK) party
in 1944, as a militant (DK members wear black shirts), anti religious
(philosophy of Hinduism is false and an opiate), anti-Sanskrit (need
to de-Sanskritize Tamil language, Ramayanaya is false, destroy the
images of sacred Hindu deities such as Rama and Ganesha) movement.
The selection of a poison flower and a cyanide pill by Tamil separatists
in Northern Sri Lanka is thus not hard to understand (ref. chapter10:
Religion, politics and the DMK by Robert L. Hardgrave in South Asia
Politics and Religion, edited by Donald E. Smith,1966).
(A) 1917-1963 (legal phase)
1917 August - South India Liberation Front founded (Justice Party)
It was then anti-Brahmin not anti-Hindi (power of Tamil Nadu was in
the hands of the Brahmin 2%)
1921-1924 Agreement in Ceylon between Tamil and Sinhala politicians
for a ratio of 1 Tamil for 2 Sinhala representatives
1925 Self-Respect Movement began
1931 - Naickers trip to Russia
1936-1937 Balanced representation (fifty-fifty) demand by GG
Ponnambalam (a Christian) in Ceylon.
1937 - Hindi introduced as a compulsory subject in schools (Rajagopalachari
of
the Congress Party was in control)
Anti-Hindi campaign began, Hindi language changed to an optional subject
1938 December - Justice Party Convention asked for a separate Tamilnad
operating directly under London
1939 - Dravida Nadu Conference asked for a separate and independent
Dravidasthan
1940 - Muslims Leagues Lahore resolution demanding a Pakistan,
mutual
support for separate states
1940s C. Sundaralingam, MP for Vavniya spoke of a Tamil state
in Northern and Eastern Provinces in Ceylon.
1944 - Justice Party reorganized as DK- Dravida Federation (remained
a quasi-
military organization).
1944 1945 - Soulbury Commission rejected discrimination complaint
by GG Ponnambalam.
1947 - Jinna refused to help Naicker to help create a Dravidasthan
July 1947 - SJV Chelvanayagam proposed merger of Tamil Nad and Tamil
state in Ceylon.
Nov 1947 Chelvanayagams speech at Trincomalee; promised
to snatch Trincomalee from the Sinhala enemies and deliver it to Nehru
for Indias security if Nehru so asked.
1949 DMK formed by C. N. Annadurai. Reasons: Naicker was a
dictator, had
no faith in democracy, refused to honor the national flag, boycotted
independence day celebrations, rejected Indian constitution; married
a 28 year old girl when he was 72 and made her heir to the party leadership.
Dec. 1949 Tamil state party (ITAK) was formed in Ceylon by
SJV Chelvanayagam wowing for a separate Tamil state.
1952 Indian General Election. Anna said DMK was genuinely communist.
burned Hindi books, painted tar over Hindi signs, burned the flag,
burned pictures of Gandhi. (DMK has a tribal mentality-Nehru)
Independence demand at the election
1955 Hindi became the National (official) language of India
1956 Reorganization of states on language basis (Naicker abandoned
Dravidasthan goal to a smaller Tamilnadu separatism goal)
1957 Tamilnadu election Independence demand
1962 DMK Election manifesto (long-range goal was the creation
of a
Dravidasthan Socialist Federation) Independence demand
Kamraj of the Congress Party won but DMK won 50 seats in the state
legislature. In Feb. 1962 Kamraj changed the state name from Madras
to Tamilnad. He wanted Madurai (Pandyan capital) as state capital.
1963 Separatism proscribed from Indian politics (not from people
or writers)
(B) 1963-mid 1980s (illegal phase)
The unexpected War with China in 1962 gave Nehru an opportunity to
ban Tamil separatism using protect the motherland national feelings.
No room in India for any anti-Indian talks. The separatist movement
had to be moved to Jaffna to the Ravanas of Naicker. It went back
to India after 1978 (JRJ-IndiraG cow and calf family feud) and got
an open foothold after 1983 Tamil killings in Colombo. Had a set back
with the killing of Rajiv G in May 1991.
1967 election Anna became chief minister. Congress party out
from power.
1968 One day student strike; hoisted independent Tamilnadu
national flag.
1969 Feb Anna died of oral cancer; 15 million attended his
funeral (largest in
the world).
1969-1976 M. Karnanidhi as chief minister (DMK)
April 1974 Tamilnadu assembly passed a resolution for state
autonomy
1972 MGRs fall out from DMK (one reason Karunanidhis
practice of
polygamy). Formed AIADMK.
1977 election MGR won
(C) After mid 1980s (separatism back in Tamil Nadu via Delhi politicians)
mid-1980s Tamilnadu liberation army formed (TNLA) to liberate
Tamilnadu
(TN) from Indian rule; TNRT TN retrieval troops; Thamizhaka
Makkal Viduthalai Padai formed.
1984 - MGR suffered a paralytic stroke
1985 RajivG unsuccessfully requested Perunchiththiranar (who
started the
magazine Thenmoli) to stop Independent Tamilnadu movement
1987 MGR died; power struggle between wife Janaki and suspected
mistress
Jayalalitha
1988 MGRs wife Janaki chief minister for 24 days; Jayalalitha
succeeds.
1989-1991 Karunanidhi won
1991- 1996 Jayalalitha won
1993 MDMK formed by Vaiko
1996- 2000 Karunanidhi won.
1996 December - Jayalalitha in jail
2001 Jayalalitha became chief minister (without contesting
a seat)
2001 June Karunanidhi in jail
2002 July Vaiko arrested by Jayalalitha under Prevention of
Terrorism Act for
making pro-LTTE speech.
2002 August - Nedumaran arrested by Jayalalitha under Prevention of
Terrorism
Act for making pro-LTTE speech.
2004 Jayalalithas party lost seats in the Delhi parliament
2004 July Veerappan (friend of Prabakaran) was killed after
20 years of hiding
2005 Dec 30 - Jayalalitha refused a meeting with Mahinda Rajapakse
2006 Jan Jayalalitha wants Delhi to take back Kachchativ island
from Sri Lanka
2006 April Tamilnadu assembly elections, Karunanidhi won
2008 Feb Jayalalitha asked Delhi to impose Presidential Rule
in Tamil Nadu
(under Article 356)
Anandasangaree warns India against Tamil Nadu becoming a separatist
terrorist heaven
Tamil Nadu geopolitics
Tamil Nadu is the only Indian state to oppose Hindi as a unifying
language. In Punjab, where there was a civil war against Delhi, Hindi
is accepted with Panjaabi taking a second place in public schools
There are several popular websites promoting separatism and attacking
the Hindian homeland in India as opposed to a Tamil homeland.
Despite laws in the book, the power of separatist writers was so penetrating
that Rajiv Gandhi once made a personal appeal to a writer to stop
writing! Tamilnad mind of a Tamil Ravana from Lanka is not easy to
erase. The anger fueled by separatist Tamil politicians against Delhi
as exploitation of Tamils by Hindi rulers is conveniently directed
at the Sinhala Buddhists killers, with what Prabakaran calls, a Mahavamsa
mindset.
It is true that no one Indian state can face the Indian military Goliath
but the Delhi rulers know that a new political reality of coalition
governments has come to stay. The Tamil vote block is more powerful
than the political power needed to use Direct Presidential Rule. It
(Article 356) can be imposed now only if state politicians (in the
opposition) want Delhi to use against their local rivals (chief minister).
The present game of alternatively DMK jailing AIADMK boss and AIADMK
jailing DMK boss, with the Indian Supreme Court caught in between
has given a little breathing room to Delhi, but such DMK-AIADMK nonsense
will vanish if Prabakaran as Ravana is in power in an Eelam. There
are other minor political parties in Tamilnadu (TMC, PMK, MDMK) who
act as Prabakarans proxies.
Indias Palestine Wall
Perhaps, this is why Delhi thought of a new solution: the Sethusamuduram
Canal has suddenly become Indias Palestine Wall to cutoff Valvetithurai
from Chennai.
With the Tamil Nad voting block gaining influence in Delhi, two central
government projects came to Tamil Nad as if there is a plan to cutoff
the mingling of two separatist riversseparatists in Tamilnadu
and Sri Lankas northSethu Samuduram Canal Project and
the mega Kanya Kumari nuclear power plant. Gwynne Dyer (Island, Feb.
15, 2007) gave a list of world walls. For example, Pakistan is building
a 1,500-mile fence along Afghanistan border. Since Tamil terrorists
converted the sea border between India and Sri Lanka a terrorist super
highway, the Delhi government may be planning to use the two federal
projects as Indias Palestine Wall in the south.
Tamil language faces pressure from its landward neighbors Telugu,
Kannada and Malayalam and from the Hindi official language department
in Delhi. The Hindi official language department is moving slowly
with annual progress reports. The Pondicherry model is another pain
in the neck, forced upon Tamil Nad. Additionally, those federal water
transfer projects come with the federal muscle. With such pressure
Lanka to the south is a trouble-free fertile valley full of Ravana
attractions such as Trincomalee and Seetha Eliya and Ravana Ella and
30 other identified sites.
A Tamil F in Sri Lanka will rekindle the fire beneath
the surface. Chamberlain thought Hitler had only a limited hunger.
A language-based F state is a growing monster. It needs
more room. It cannot grow landward in India. But it can come southward
via the shallow seas and become the Dravidasthan first demanded directly
from London in December 1938 by the Justice Party of Naiker. Two caste
groups in Tamil Nad are demanding two separate states within its boundaries!
(PMK leader S. Rmados is demanding one for the Vanniyar castes; as
a reaction to this the Dalits inpoliticians can postpone or re-direct
such domestic divisive demands by instigating separatist agitation
or UDI in a language-based F unit in Sri Lanka.