Tuesday, September 4th 2012, 06:51 AM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa appears dead set on taking on
the ordinary Sinhalese for her inability to influence the Indian government to
pursue a Sri Lanka policy of her choice.
It is plain ridiculous to suspend an officer of Chennai's Jawaharlal
Nehru indoor stadium for allowing the use of the ground for a football match
between a Sri Lankan team and a local team.
The game, we are told, had hurt the "sentiments" of Indians
Tamils, because of the excesses that took place during Sri Lanka's war against
the LTTE that also killed many innocents (mostly Tamil).
The Sri Lankan football team was asked to go back. Another Sri Lankan
student team also faced hostility. If this wasn't enough, Tamil groups have
taken upon themselves to oppose the visit of some 200 Sri Lankan pilgrims to
Tamil Nadu.
At this rate, will Jayalalithaa call for an end to India-Sri Lanka
cricketing ties?
After all, if a football clash between two unknown teams - an event
which would have gone unnoticed but for the chief minister's action - can hurt
"Tamil sentiments", a high-profile cricket match between the national
teams of India and Sri Lanka is bound to cause the same effect. (India won 4-1
an ODI series in Sri Lanka in as July-August and is set to visit Sri Lanka
again.)
What more? Will New Delhi be asked to shut its high commission and two
consulates in Sri Lanka? Maybe India should also sever trade links with
Colombo. Will Indian tourists be told to boycott Sri Lanka?
In as much as none of these has any logic, the same applies to
Jayalalithaa's action against the football team.
It is one thing for the chief minister to rant against India's military
relations with Sri Lanka.
It is insane to tell ordinary Sri Lankans - whatever the ethnicity -
that they are not welcome to Tamil Nadu on account of the supposed wrongs of
the regime in Colombo.
This would be akin to punishing the Indian Muslim today for whatever Mughal
kings of an earlier period did.
The Indian government was wrong in stating that it would continue to
provide "training" to Sri Lankan military officers. It was a badly
worded statement.
What should have been stated is that the Sri Lankans are among military
personnel from many countries who come to India for routine refresher courses.
India is not teaching these soldiers how to kill; they already know it.
The only Sri Lankans India trained to kill belonged to Tamil groups
including the LTTE.
Despite Islamabad's undisguised backing to terrorist groups in India, no
sensible Indian wants an end to people-to-people contacts with Pakistan. Nor
has anyone said 'no' to Chinese investment since Beijing occupies Indian
territory.
Jayalalithaa's actions - and those who think on similar terms - can only
strengthen the Rajapaksa regime, which will point at Tamil Nadu to maintain its
military presence in predominantly Tamil areas.
None of what is taking place in Tamil Nadu - which itself is linked to
the traditional DMK-AIADMK rivalry - will prove in anyway useful to the
ordinary Tamil in Sri Lanka.
Many in Sri Lanka and around the world have legitimate concerns about
human rights abuses and reconciliation issues there. There is nothing wrong if
these are discussed threadbare - or if people feel frustrated vis-a-vis
Colombo.
But the anti-Sri Lanka tendencies Jayalalithaa is fanning in Tamil Nadu
will have long-term consequences -- for India.
IANS
