Congress in the politically sensitive and emotionally complicated terrain

Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s reference to Prabhakaran makes it uncomfortable

By Dr. Gyan Pathak

History has again put the Congress in the politically very sensitive and emotionally complicated terrain. After the election result in Tamil Nadu, the Congress decided to support the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by Vijay. As chief minister of the state, Vijay on May 18, paid tribute to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE’s) founder, Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was the chief accused in the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.

The course of History seems to be particularly hard on Rajiv Gandhi’s son and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi who is currently the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, and his sister Priyanka Gandhi.

The comment of the BJP on this sensitive and emotional issue is disgusting, that has framed the Congress’ alliance with TVK in reference to Vijay’s tribute to Prabhakaran as hypocrisy of the party. The BJP’s media cell chief Amit Malviya attacked Rahul Gandhi, “Tamil Nadu’s new Chief Minister has paid homage to LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, whose outfit assassinated former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Of course, Rahul Gandhi would have no problem with it, as long as the Congress gets a slice of power. After all, the DMK too was an LTTE apologist, yet Congress remained perfectly comfortable in alliance with it.” The attack is below the belt and devoid of all human sensitivity.

History is in no one’s control, though some may imagine they have bee controlling, as Leo Tolstoy, demonstrates it in his monumental work “War and Peace”. Today, the history of Tamil Nadu is in the process of churning. DMK has just bead defeated out of power, though TVK won only 108 seats, now has only 107 seats after Vijay’s quitting from one of the two seats he had won. Congress had won 5 seats, and 8 seats are won by TVK’s other allies VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and IUML. The majority mark is 118, and the ruling alliance has 120 seats.

Congress, or anyone had not idea, in which way the politics will move. Though an AIADMK group of 25 is ready to join the TVK, they are kept at abeyance by Vijay because of CPI(M)’s objection. Vijay wants to keep the present alliance, which has been asserted by TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna on May 20. Congress has 5 seats, and Vijay is not so unwise that it should willingly hurt the Congress leadership or rank and file.

Nevertheless, the political compulsion for Vijay was to make its own ideological base other than the Dravidian politics of the DMK and AIADMK. Vijay wants to create neo-Dravidian ideological base by adding Tamil Nationalism to it. It is in this effort he referred to ‘Mullivaikkal’ where Prabhakaran was shot dead by the Sri Lankan army on May 18, 2009.

One may call it whatever on may like to say, since May 18 was his Prabhakaran’s death anniversary, and Vijay referred the place in his tweet on X. He wrote, “We will carry the memories of Mullivaikkal in our hearts! We will always stand in solidarity for the rights of our Tamil kin living across the sea!”

The wordings of the post are clear. It was for the Tamil Nationalism, and was in no way a praise for Prabhakaran of LTTE as assassinator of Rajiv Gandhi. Therefore, BJP’s trying to exploit the moral and emotional contradiction of the Congress in not justified. It is clearly emotional torture to the Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi and also the Congress party. BJP’s framing it as congress hypocrisy by implying that Congress condemns the LTTE nationally, but supports a Tami Nadu government led by a politician accused of softening attitude towards Prabhakaran.

TVK says that the reference of Mullivaikkal is about the massacre of thousands of Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka, and not just the death of Prabhakaran. It says that the CM Vijay not even mentioned Prabhakaran’s name in his post. It should be recalled that India banned LTTE in May 1992 following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and the ban was extended for another five years in May 2024. Therefore, there is no question of Vijay’s endorsement of separatist militancy but it was simply a symbolic articulation for creating Tamil Nationalism ideology, for Tamil dignity, and solidarity of all Tamilians everywhere. It is a neo-Dravidian era where the Tamil Nadu politics is leading to, which goes against the BJP, and both AIADMK’s and DMK’s Dravidian politics.

Congress silence in this regards until now is commendable. It must not overreact on provocation of the BJP. Moral and emotional contradictions within the TVK alliance should be overcome. Older Congress cadres, Rajiv-loyalists, and party rank and file should also overcome the emotional crisis, and see which way Tamil Nadu politics is moving. It should be noted that Tamil sensitivity has always been different than the sentiments of the national politics.

Sympathy for Sri Lankan Tamils is widespread in Tamil Nadu, and Mullivaikkal remembrance has emotional resonance in the state. Even mainstream Dravidian parties historically adopted pro-Eelam rhetoric at times. Though nationally, LTTE remains associated with terrorism and Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, and overt symbolic gestures towards Prabhakaran are political considered toxic.

Congress has now the responsibility to balance Tamil political realities, national credibility, and Gandhi family’s sensitivities, though the balancing act is extremely difficult, and emotionally and morally complicated. The course of history is hard on the party in general and Gandhi family in particular.

BJP’s narrative is totally wrong and insensitive in which it says that Congress compromised on Rajiv Gandhi’s legacy for political power. In Tamil Nadu, BJP will not gain by this narrative, but nationally, it will try to exploit the emotional crisis within the Congress. (IPA Service)