Tiger’s tailpiece

Sri Lanka’s pro-LTTE Tamil MPs come calling. And not just for high tea

Pranay Sharma Delhi

Despite South Block's attempts to play it down, the visit of five Tamil MPs from Sri Lanka to New Delhi did not go unnoticed. The delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the biggest group of Tamil members in the Sri Lankan Parliament, is known for its strong sympathies towards the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE is still a banned organisation in India, despised by many for the ruthless manner in which it disposes of dissenters and political adversaries. The Indian government still

holds the LTTE supreme, Prabhakaran, responsible for unleashing the human-bomb that killed Rajiv Gandhi and others at an election rally in May 1991.

So what is the Indian government doing with a group of Tamil leaders from Sri Lanka who sympathise with the LTTE? "India is the only country that understands the problem in Sri Lanka. And there is a growing feeling, especially among the ethnic Tamil population on the island, that New Delhi must intervene to bring about a lasting peace in Sri Lanka," said R. Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil MPs delegation. “India and the international community must tell the government in Colombo that unless it takes urgent steps to address the aspirations of the Tamils, the territorial unity and integrity of Sri Lanka will be under threat," he added.

Worried over the possible fallout of the TNA leaders' visit to the Capital, South Block has maintained that "too much" should not be read into it. India's cautious approach on the issue is understandable. The debate in the Indian establishment on re-engaging with the Tamil Tigers is not yet over. In fact, the majority opinion, both within and outside the government, is that the LTTE is an organisation that is best left alone.

Several security and defence experts believe the Sri Lankan army's offensive, coupled with years of harassment by breakaway Tiger leader Karuna, has left the LTTE on the defensive. In their view, since the Tamil Tigers are on the run and need time to regroup, they are desperate to enlist India's support.

However, despite apprehensions, the Indian government did invite the TNA members for a dialogue (it is too early to call it a policy shift) and has taken the first tentative step towards playing a more proactive role in the developments in Sri Lanka again. However, while doing so, the government seems to have put enough insulation between itself and the visiting TNA members.  The invitation was issued by the Indian Council on World Affairs (ICWA) and not the government. It was for a seminar, where the visitors from Sri Lanka were expected to interact with scholars and experts on finding a solution to the current political mess in the island nation.

The ICWA is, after all, a government-funded think-tank, and its director-general, Talmiz Ahmad, and several many other officials are from the foreign ministry. In addition, the initial meetings slated between the visitors and Indian leaders and officials, included one with the prime minister. Though the MPs got to meet the national security advisor MK Narayanan and other senior officials in South Block, the meeting with the prime minister was called off at the last minute.