Tamils in India Should Stop Batting For Sri Lankan Tamils

One of the criticisms leveled against a Muslim in India is that they are supporters of Pakistan.  Of course this is not true in the vast majority of cases.  Some of us accuse Indian Muslims of supporting the Pakistani cricket team when they play in India.  This is the very same accusation made by locals against people of Indian origin when the Indian cricket team plays in West Indies, England, Australia or New Zealand.  Loyalty is a very complicated issue in life and particularly in sports.

Conflicting loyalties in sports in the grand scheme of things is minor.  But what if we are conflicted about other much more serious issues that affect foreign policy?  It is in this context that I am very confused about the reaction of some people in Tamil Nadu about what to do with Sri Lanka.

It is normal for people from Tamil Nadu to feel a sense of brotherhood with fellow Tamilians all over the world.  This feeling is much deeper towards people of Tamil origin who live in Sri Lanka.  Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are geographically very close and in many cases there are family connections (Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan who is married to a Tamilian is a good example).

The Tamil freedom movement in Sri Lanka may have had an innocent beginning.  But there is no question that there was tremendous violence perpetrated on innocent civilians by Tamil organizations fighting for freedom (like the LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government forces.  This violence was not limited to Sri Lanka alone.  I lived in Tamil Nadu for most of my adult life and I can still clearly remember the violence that was taking place in cities like Coimbatore and Chennai.  Most of this violence and killing was a result of infighting between the various Tamil groups.  The attacks on Indian soil culminated when LTTE assassinated the then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi during a campaign in Tamil Nadu.

I am for people in Tamil Nadu and for that matter people all over India getting together and helping the Tamil people in Sri Lanka recover from four decades of war.  But should we force the Indian government and prominent Indians to get tough on Sri Lanka which is one of India’s most reliable neighbors and risk damaging this relationship?

For several days now Tamils (mostly from an unknown party called Naam Tamilar) have staged a hunger strike in front of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.  They want Amitabh Bachchan not to chair the 11^th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony in Colombo in June.  A few weeks earlier the Tamil Nadu government made a big deal when the mother of former LTTE leader Prabhakaran was denied permission by the Indian government to enter India.

Issuing visas for travel and placing people on no fly lists are Central government issues.  The central government is not obligated to include or consult the state on such matters.  It is also very inappropriate for a state government to question such policies.  Most people in Tamil Nadu do not want anything to do with LTTE or other organizations that have used the Tamil population all over their world and their concerns as a means to advance their selfish goals.  But there are a few who are unwilling to let go.  But we should not let them influence India’s relationship with Sri Lanka.

Related posts:

1. Who is a Terrorist?
2. Early Release for Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassin?
3. Promoting and Preventing the Tamil Language From Extinction
4. Karnataka’s Tax Exemption for Paa Not Justified
5. Mallika Sarabhai Right About Gujarat

Tags: Amitabh Bachchan, Australia, Bollywood, Chennai, Coimbatore, cricket, England, governemnt, India, LTTE, New Zealand, Pakistani, Sri Lanka, Tamil, Tamil Nadu, Tamils, West Indies

Category: News & Government