Lanka: AIADMK, Left share platform

N Ravikumar CHENNAI, Sept. 28: In a swift and shrewd political move that will bring the AIADMK and Left leaders on a common platform and lay the foundation for a possible alliance, AIADMK supremo Ms Jayalalitha has conveyed that her party would support the CPI fast to condemn the “Centre's assistance to the Sri Lankan government's genocidal war against Tamils”. As the civil war in the island nation is slowly, but steadily moving to the centre stage of Tamil Nadu politics, after reports that two Indian technocrats were injured during air raids by the LTTE recently, the AIADMK chief in a letter written to CPI State secretary Mr D Pandian has said that she would depute a senior leader and a former minister in the MGR cabinet Mr S Muthusamy to attend the fast in Chennai, while AIADMK district secretaries would participate in the protests throughout the State. Ms Jayalalitha's move would severely embarrass the DMK leader Mr Karunanidhi, who is maintaining a deafening silence on the issue, since his government is relying on Congress support for survival. If Ms Jayalalitha, joins other parties and took up the issue seriously, that would damage Mr Karunanidhi's Tamil nationalist image and challenge his party's claim that he was the `sole leader of the Tamil race'. The AIADMK leader has certainly overtaken actor and DMDK actor Mr Vijaykanth, who is non-committal about an alliance with the Left, even after CPI-M State leaders met him and initiated a dialogue. Mr Vijaykanth, who admitted that the Left leaders had approached him for an alliance, has not come out with a positive response, while Ms Jayalalitha has already shown her keenness, by deciding to share a common platform with the Communists. Ms Jayalalitha's trusted ally and MDMK leader Mr Vaiko will be present in the 2 October 2 fast, keenly watched by the people and political observers, who see a change of current in State politics. The CPI-M leaders, who are often charged with adopting an `anti-Tamil stand’ in the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue as well as the Mullaiperiyar and Salem railway division row with the neigbouring Kerala, are also attending the fast. Mr D Pandian, disclosed Ms Jayalalitha's decision while speaking at an indoor meeting of Tamil nationalist outfits at a marriage hall here. The CPI leader said that the UPA government was pursuing a `Sinhalese appeasement policy’ and ignoring the killings of Tamils in the island. The Sri Lankan government was not interested in a political settlement to the conflict and not ready to provide equal rights to Tamils. Instead, they had decided to carry out a genocidal war and annihilate the entire Tamil race. The UPA government, instead of pressurising the island government to stop the war, is providing military and economic assistance to the Sri Lankan government, he said.