Sushma Swaraj gets hauled over the coals over Sri Lanka

[samv]

Parties join cry to stop Rajapaksa visit

Sep 04, 2012 | DC | Chennai/New Delhi


Over three years have passed since the fall of the LTTE and the failure of the Eelam war, but the Lankan Tamil issue continues to rage in multiple forms across the Palk Strait in Tamil Nadu.

The latest provocation for the Tamil anger is the announcement that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is visiting India to lay the foundation stone of a Centre for Buddhist studies at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh on September 21, at the invitation of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj—she had been to Sri Lanka recently at his invitation.

All the political parties in Tamil Nadu have protested against Rajapaksa’s coming. He has done precious little to rehabilitate the war-displaced Tamils languishing in camps in the island, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa has repeatedly pointed out. DMK president M. Karunanidhi too has opposed the Lankan President’s trip, while MDMK general secretary Vaiko has even threatened to lead a black-flag demonstration at Sanchi on Sept 21.

“It is paradoxical that Rajapaksa was invited for this function; Buddha not only preached peace and tolerance but also practised it”, said Vaiko, referring to the charges of war crimes against Colombo and the continued subjugation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

“Sushma Swaraj’s announcement amounts to adding insult to injury to Tamils. BJP president Nitin Gadkari and leaders like Yashwant Sinha who have a genuine concern for the Lankan Tamils must take steps to cancel the invitation extended to Rajapaksa. If not, I will lead a black flag demonstration at Sanchi on Sept. 21,” Vaiko said in a statement here on Monday.

Urging BJP’s top brass against entertaining the Lankan President, Vaiko recalled that former Prime Minister and BJP veteran A.B. Vajpayee was compassionate towards the Lankan Tamils but Ms Swaraj and the Madhya Pradesh government had chosen to act against the Tamil interest now.

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan too has demanded that the BJP leaders withdraw invitation to Rajapaksa, arguing that it was a gesture hugely insulting the Tamils.

Meanwhile, the DMK in a statement said its parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu and Rajya Sabha MPs Tiruchy Siva and Ms Kanimozhi raised slogans in the Parliament protesting against the training of Sri Lankan military personnel at Indian defence establishments. This issue has been agitating all the political leaders in Tamil Nadu in recent months.

In New Delhi, the CPI national secretary A.Raja dashed off a letter to defence minister A.K. Antony explaining the opposition to the Lankan military men getting trained in India. It was “highly deplorable” that instead of taking note of the strong feelings in TN over the issue, the minister of state for defence M.M. Pallam Raju had insisted that the training would continue, Raja said.

Parties join cry to stop Rajapaksa visit | The Asian Age

 

[samv]

Sushma Swaraj unveils painting at SL High Commission in New Delhi

September 2, 2012, 10:24 pm


BY S VENKAT NARAYAN

Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, September 2: Sushma Swaraj, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament, on Saturday unveiled at the Sri Lankan High Commission a painting to commemorate the 2600th year of the Sambuddhatya Jayanti and to celebrate the historic links between the two neighbouring countries.

The painting, specially commissioned by the Sri Lankan High Commission here, depicts Indian Emperor Asoka requesting his son Arhat Mahinda to set off to Sri Lanka from Sanchi in Vidisha in today’s Bihar with the message of Buddhism, and Theri Sanghamitta and the sapling of the sacred Bodhi tree being received in Anuradhapura in the third century before Christ. It has been executed by a wellknown Sri Lankan painter.

Mrs Swaraj said she was delighted when Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam told her two months ago that he would like her to unveil the painting because she represents Vidisha in the Indian Parliament.

She recalled the recent extensive visit of a multi-party delegation of Indian MPs led by her to several places in the island-nation, and the meetings her team had with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan and a host of others.

Mrs Swaraj said she was delighted when Sambanthan declared to her: "Madam, I am proud to be a Sri Lankan, and we Tamils want a solution to the ethnic problem in an undivided Sri Lanka and within the framework of the Sri Lankan Constitution."

She said India too favours such a solution. When she and her delegation called on President Rajapaksa, they requested him to move on and find an amicable solution. The president urged her to persuade the TNA to join the parliamentary consultative process for this purpose, she recalled, and expressed the hope that the reconciliation process will move swiftly ensuring peace, prosperity and a bright future for all Sri Lankans, including the Tamils.

She recalled the important cultural and buddhistic links between India and Sri Lanka and reiterated India’s commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. She said she was impressed by the resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka, as well as the approaches made by all parties towards reconciliation.

A large gathering of diplomats, civil servants, media persons and MPs attended the function. The MPs included Rajya Sabha members Dr Mrs Najma Heptullah and JD Seelam, and Lok Sabha member Vishwa Mohan Kumar. Seelan and Kumar were members of Mrs Swaraj’s delegation that visited the island.

The Island

 

[Neuro]

Congress and BJP are doing the same thing.

Tamils needs separate nation like Israel.When center ignoring our feelings means there is nothing wrong to take anti-India stance to harm India. Tamils have no enmity towards China and Pakistan personally those are north Indian and NE Indian problems if china favors tamils interests then we wholeheartedly welcoming China presence in IOR.

 

[samv]

Congress and BJP are doing the same thing.

Tamils needs separate nation like Israel.When center ignoring our feelings means there is nothing wrong to take anti-India stance to harm India. Tamils have no enmity towards China and Pakistan personally those are north Indian and NE Indian problems if china favors tamils interests then we wholeheartedly welcoming China presence in IOR.

Tamils are more than welcome to have a separate nation - just not out of Sri Lankan territory. If we are going by ethnicity, Punjab is the homeland of the Punjabis, Gujarat of the Gujaratis, Maharashtra of the Marathis, Kerala is the homeland of the Malayalis, Karnataka of the Kannadigas, Andhra Pradesh of the Telugu people, Orissa of the Oriyas, Tamil Nadu of the Tamils and Sri Lanka of the Sinhalese.

Tamil Nadu has been the homeland of the Tamil people for thousands of years and home to 60-70 million Tamils. It's where their language, culture, religion and civilisation flourished and continues to flourish. There is no Tamil history without Tamil Nadu. If anything it is Tamil Nadu that should be an independent country. Infact, almost all of the states in India are really nation-states.

 

[ajtr]

Congress and BJP are doing the same thing.

Tamils needs separate nation like Israel.When center ignoring our feelings means there is nothing wrong to take anti-India stance to harm India. Tamils have no enmity towards China and Pakistan personally those are north Indian and NE Indian problems if china favors tamils interests then we wholeheartedly welcoming China presence in IOR.

Tamils neesd to capture delhi and kick all northies to pakistan and bangladesh.............

 

[KS]

Congress and BJP are doing the same thing.

Tamils needs separate nation like Israel.When center ignoring our feelings means there is nothing wrong to take anti-India stance to harm India. Tamils have no enmity towards China and Pakistan personally those are north Indian and NE Indian problems if china favors tamils interests then we wholeheartedly welcoming China presence in IOR.

Thambi, ithu seriyilla..especially inga. Namma sanda namakulleye irukkanum....aduthavanukku theriyakoodathu....Inda maari solrathala onnum nadakkka porathilla..athu unakkum theriyum....Why are you blaming the central Govt...I was also like this only at the first - blamingg the congress solely for the genocide in lanka...but anda kilatu koodhi, naan support ah withdraw panrenu cut n right sollirundana idu nadathurukkuma...thappu namma meleyum irukku...tamilane innoru tamilana pathi kavalapadatha pothu innoruthan eppadi kavala paduvaan ? Namma otrumai ah illatha varaikum ippadi nadakatthan seyyum...nammalum sagichitu thaan irukkanum.

thayavu sedhu un post ah edit pannu.. paaru kanda kanda singala koodhi lam namakku advise panna vanduttan.

Tamils neesd to capture delhi and kick all northies to pakistan and bangladesh.............

You can shut it...please.

Tamils are more than welcome to have a separate nation - just not out of Sri Lankan territory. If we are going by ethnicity, Punjab is the homeland of the Punjabis, Gujarat of the Gujaratis, Maharashtra of the Marathis, Kerala is the homeland of the Malayalis, Karnataka of the Kannadigas, Andhra Pradesh of the Telugu people, Orissa of the Oriyas, Tamil Nadu of the Tamils and Sri Lanka of the Sinhalese.

Tamil Nadu has been the homeland of the Tamil people for thousands of years. It's where their language, culture, religion and civilisation flourished and continues to flourish. There is no Tamil history without Tamil Nadu. If anything it is Tamil Nadu that should be an independent country. Infact, almost all of the states in India are really nation-states.

Intellect of a pigeon and here you are 'preaching' to us Tamils about our own culture...have some shame singala.....this is our internal problem and try your **** stirring elsewhere.

Lanka for Sinhalese. Racist scum.

 

[samv]

Intellect of a mouse and here you are 'preaching' to us Tamils about our own culture...have some shame singala.....this is our internal problem and try your **** stirring elsewhere.

I think everything I've said is fact Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamil people and it has every right to be an independent state if it wants to. The name Tamil Nadu itself means "Country of Tamils" does it not?

 

[KS]

I think everything I've said is fact Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamil people and it has every right to be an independent state if it wants to. The name Tamil Nadu itself means "Country of Tamils" does it not?

As I said, try your **** stirring somewhere. Comprende ?

 

[samv]

As I said, try your **** stirring somewhere. Comprende ?

Am I?

What's wrong in speaking the truth? Almost all of India's states are nation states, and if the Union of India is true democracy I think it would have no problem in allowing each state to decide whether it wishes to remain within the Indian union or secede. Tamil Nadu has everything required to be an independent country. The only reason it is a part of India - along with many other 'states' - is because of the British. It was never historically a part of North Indian empires.

I re-iterate, whe considering ethnic groups in the subcontinent:

Gujarat is the homeland of the Gujarati people.
Punjab is the homeland of the Punjabi people.
Karnataka is the homeland of the Kannadigas
Andhra Pradesh is the homeland of the Telugu people
Kerala is the homeland of the Malayalis
Tamil Nadu is the homeland of the Tamils
West Bengal is the homeland of the Bengalis
Orissa is the homeland of the Oriyas
Bihar, Jharkand, Chatisgarh etc cover the Hindi-speaking people
and Sri Lanka is the homeland of the Sinhalese people.

Each of the respective ethnic groups developed their societies, civilizations and languages in those respective areas. Each would not really have a history without their respective homelands.

 

[Bang Galore]

Congress and BJP are doing the same thing.

Tamils needs separate nation like Israel.When center ignoring our feelings means there is nothing wrong to take anti-India stance to harm India. Tamils have no enmity towards China and Pakistan personally those are north Indian and NE Indian problems if china favors tamils interests then we wholeheartedly welcoming China presence in IOR.

Just the other day you were ranting against Muslims...now you are ranting against India/Indians. Clearly a appropriate moniker chosen.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Am I?

What's wrong in speaking the truth? Almost all of India's states are nation states, and if the Union of India is true democracy I think it would have no problem in allowing each state to decide whether it wishes to remain within the Indian union or secede. Tamil Nadu has everything required to be an independent country. The only reason it is a part of India - along with many other 'states' - is because of the British. It was never historically a part of North Indian empires.

Like i mentioned before,

Considering the problems you Sri lankans had with your Tamil minority , we aren't surprised you failed to comprehend the concept of lingual and ethnic diversity within a nation.

Seeing the even after war with LTTE is over, the Tamil speratism porblem is going to continue to haunt Sri Lanka for many years to come.

 

[neutral_person]

Am I?

What's wrong in speaking the truth? Almost all of India's states are nation states, and if the Union of India is true democracy I think it would have no problem in allowing each state to decide whether it wishes to remain within the Indian union or secede. Tamil Nadu has everything required to be an independent country. The only reason it is a part of India - along with many other 'states' - is because of the British. It was never historically a part of North Indian empires.

Why don't you lead by example of your so called righteousness and let the Tamils have their own country out of Sri Lanka? Maybe we will learn from your example and follow suit

 

[Neuro]

Thambi, ithu seriyilla..especially inga. Namma sanda namakulleye irukkanum....aduthavanukku theriyakoodathu....Inda maari solrathala onnum nadakkka porathilla..athu unakkum theriyum....Why are you blaming the central Govt...I was also like this only at the first - blamingg the congress solely for the genocide in lanka...but anda kilatu koodhi, naan support ah withdraw panrenu cut n right sollirundana idu nadathurukkuma...thappu namma meleyum irukku...tamilane innoru tamilana pathi kavalapadatha pothu innoruthan eppadi kavala paduvaan ? Namma otrumai ah illatha varaikum ippadi nadakatthan seyyum...nammalum sagichitu thaan irukkanum.

thayavu sedhu un post ah edit pannu.. paaru kanda kanda singala koodhi lam namakku advise panna vanduttan.

Unmai thaan...anaal yen ina alipu yen kanmunaadi natanthathu athai patri naan pesakudahaaa? singalavan tamil mohzhi pesiyathaal thaan en ina padukolai nathu eriyathu. Ennathu makkal buddha mathathai thaluvi irunthaal atha sambavam nadathirkathu avargal namadhu mohzhi , kalachaaram kaka uirai vitanar , enathu inathirkaka alugakuda oorimai illaya? India vin ovaru seyalum namdhu inathirku ethiraga amaithathu. I thought BJP will do gudness for SL tamil in future but above incidents totally devastated my hope hence I wrote like that. Even if I edited it won't make sense coz many already replied for my post still u want 2 edit I will do.

We are not like other countries , our unity based on our diversity if they hurt sentiments of particular groups/state then our unity become questionable.

 

[samv]

Like i mentioned before,

Considering the problems you Sri lankans had with your Tamil minority , we aren't surprised you failed to comprehend the concept of lingual and ethnic diversity within a nation.

Seeing the even after war with LTTE is over, the Tamil speratism porblem is going to continue to haunt Sri Lanka for many years to come.

We'll see I guess

But Sri Lanka looks a heck of a lot more peaceful and stable than India to my eyes.

 

[KS]

Just the other day you were ranting against Muslims...now you are ranting against India/Indians. Clearly a appropriate moniker chosen.

Let's not extend the argument please...A request