By
Meera Srinivasan
Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the largest group representing Tamils of the north and east in Parliament, has sought “direct engagement” with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for a “continued focus” on the Tamil question and to strengthen India’s Sri Lanka policy.
In a statement dated February 18, the TNA and Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora group Global Tamil Forum (GTF) noted that “Tamils in Sri Lanka are, once again, at a critical point,” citing the “dismal” economic prospects of the war-affected community and mere “marginal” progress on war-time accountability. They pointed to “many existential challenges” faced by Tamils, by way of threats to their land, rampant militarisation and state-sponsored initiatives aimed at “altering regional demography.”
“It is feared a new Constitution under preparation could further weaken the status of the Tamil people, especially by abolishing or weakening the Provincial Councils – the only constitutional power devolution arrangement Tamil people achieved with direct Indian involvement,” the TNA and GTF said, looking for “guidance and support from India and Tamil Nadu,” as the State has “always been critical in setting Indian policies towards Sri Lanka.”
The statement, calling for a greater involvement from Tamil Nadu, assumes significance as it comes a month after a group of prominent Tamil legislators, including from the TNA, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking India’s help in ensuring Colombo addresses the island’s long-pending Tamil question with a lasting political solution.
The MPs underscored their commitment to a political solution based on a federal structure that recognises the Tamils’ right to self-determination, while underscoring the need to go beyond the 13th Amendment, that flowed out of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 and led to the creation of Provincial Councils in Sri Lanka.
India’s “leverage”
Although the TNA and GTF referred to India’s “significant leverage” over Sri Lanka, their appeal to Tamil Nadu comes amid a growing perception within Sri Lanka’s Tamil community that India’s preoccupation with countering Chinese influence in the island nation has outweighed its concerns for the Tamil community after the war ended in 2009.
Further, New Delhi is keen on strengthening its development partnership with the Rajapaksa administration. The two governments are attempting to renew ties after a period of strain, with frequent, high-level engagement. India has committed over $2 billion in economic assistance since January this year to help Sri Lanka cope with its unprecedented economic crisis.
Meanwhile, New Delhi has been consistently stating that Sri Lanka’s interests are best served by ensuring equality, justice, peace and respect for the Tamil people within a united Sri Lanka, be it at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva or in bilateral forums. But there are few indications that Colombo agrees with that emphasis, as was evident earlier this month in the separate statements issued by New Delhi and Colombo, on Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris’s visit to New Delhi.
India’s reference to the pending concerns of Sri Lankan Tamils made it only to one statement, issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. This is not the first time Colombo has left out the talking point in its official statement, leading some to ask if India’s influence on the Tamil question is “waning.”
Support to refugees
Recalling Tamil Nadu’s historic engagement on the Sri Lankan Tamil question, the TNA and GTF hailed Mr. Stalin’s ₹317-crore package announced last year in support of Sri Lankan refugees living in Tamil Nadu.
Observing that Mr. Stalin’s “supportive approach” was consistent with that of his father M. Karunanidhi, the statement said: “Tamil people in Sri Lanka and their political leaders looked upon the leaders of Tamil Nadu for guidance, support and inspiration. Their support – directly as well as through the Government of India – has always been a great source of comfort for the Tamil people living in Sri Lanka.”
In a glaring omission, the statement signed by TNA spokesman and Jaffna district MP M.A. Sumanthiran, and GTF spokesman Suren Surendiran, made no reference to the long-festering fisheries conflict affecting fishermen of Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka.
Tensions between fishermen of both sides have escalated in recent weeks, following the death of two Jaffna fishermen who reportedly died in mid-sea clashes with their Tamil Nadu counterparts.
Courtesy:The Hindu