The Hindu : National : Vaiko: backing Centre on Manmohan's request

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 04, 2006
ePaper

National

National

Vaiko: backing Centre on Manmohan's request

New Delhi : The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, whose ouster from the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre has been demanded by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, on Sunday said that it was backing the Congress-led Government on the request of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"I am not thrusting [support] on them. We are not. We do not enjoy any ministerial berth. Prime Minister requested me to continue in the alliance, we are continuing," MDMK leader Vaiko said in an interview to Karan Thapar for the `Devil's Advocate' programme on the CNN-IBN.

He was replying to a question on whether he was thrusting his party's support on the Congress, which considered the LTTE to be a terrorist outfit.

On whether his party was prepared to do so despite the UPA and Congress considered the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, he said: "Why should I. Have the Communists sacrificed all their ideology to support the UPA? They are supporting from outside. We are also supporting from outside. We are not in the Cabinet."

"It is my consistent view for many years that Eelam is the only solution which could satisfy the aspirations of the Tamil people [in Sri Lanka]," he said.

Asked what Congress president Sonia Gandhi would make of his open praise of LTTE leader Prabakaran, the prime accused in the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Vaiko said "it is a very emotional issue. It does not come in the way of our cordiality."

Mr. Vaiko said that he stood by his criticism of Rajiv Gandhi on the Indo-Sri Lanka accord in the late eighties.

Mr. Vaiko said one could not equate the DMK with the Congress, as unlike DMK, the Congress was not promoting family interests.

Asked whether Congress was not promoting the Nehru-Gandhi family, he said: "I don't think so. Sonia Gandhi refused the crown by not taking the Prime Minister's post. Karunanidhi's DMK is promoting family, its family only."

About the AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa's observation that she would not support a terrorist outfit, he said political parties had individual approaches to every problem.

Asked if he was prepared to face death for the LTTE, Mr. Vaiko replied: "For the cause of Tamils which is represented by the LTTE. You should understand that for the cause of Tamils who have been suffering..."

People understood him and his sincere support for the cause of Tamils. Ms. Jayalalithaa also knew his real concern for Tamils.

Asked about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's statement that he had sabotaged Rajiv Gandhi's efforts to resolve the Tamil problem by secretly visiting Colombo, Mr.Vaiko said "it was the biggest bluff, he [Karunanidhi] has stated that Rajiv Gandhi asked him to go to Sri Lanka. Rajiv Gandhi never made any such requests. I know what was going [on] then. It is a total bluff to mislead the people of Tamil Nadu.'' — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National