CPI-led hunger strike draws thousands in Tamil Nadu

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 October 2008, 11:14 GMT]
Thousands of people Thursday took to the venues in Tamil Nadu's capital city Chennai and other district capitals in the southern state of India to participate in a fasting campaign on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday demanding New Delhi to withdraw military assistance to Sri Lanka. Several Tamil leaders, including Panruti S. Ramachandran, who was actively engaged in the Sri Lankan process under the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) in the mid-80's addressed the participants at Seappaakkam. CPI National Secretary D. Raja, in his address, charged that New Delhi was clandestinely assisting Sri Lanka in its war against Tamils and questioned what the Indian personnel who came under attack in the North of Sri Lanka were doing there.



"The lost rights of the Indian fishermen in the Kachchatheevu agreement should be restored," Mr. Raja declared and said: "We wish to point out to the leader of Dravid Munetra Kazhakam that we are fighting against the Indian State not only for its Nuclear deal; we are also opposing it for the role it plays in Sri Lanka."

T. Pandyan, the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the CPI said the hunger-strike and the support by CPI to Eezham Tamils was not a political manoeuvre for forming an election alliance in Tamil Nadu. "It is a shame to think about forming political alliance on the death of Eezham Tamils," he said and urged all parties to exert pressure on New Delhi. A wide range of Tamil leaders were present at the stage at Seappaakkam where Communist Party of India (CPI) had called for one-day hunger strike demanding the Central Government of India to stop not to provide military assistance to the Sri Lankan government, to exert pressure on Colombo to stop the military offensive and to resume peace talks to find a political solution.

Tamil Nadu CPI Joint Secretary C. Mahendran, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary N. Varadarajan, Chairman of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam led by Actor Vijayakanth, Panruti S.Ramachandran, MDMK General-Secretary Vaiko, Tamil National Movement Leader Pala Nedumaran, Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol. Thirumavalavan, Puthiya Thamizhakam Leader Dr. Krishnasamy, World Tamils Organization President, Ira. Janarthanan, former Congress leader Thindivanam Ramamoorthy and Latchiya Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (LDMK) Leader Vijaya T Rajendhar were among the political figures of Tamil Nadu who took part in the hunger strike at the stage and also addressed the audience.

Several artists and poets from Tamil Nadu and three Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarians, Maavai Senathirajah MP, Sivajilingam MP, Suresh Premachandran MP and V.I.S Jayapalan, a Tamil poet from Eezham were also among the participants at the stage. "This struggle which expresses the sentiments of the entire Tamis has to continue and we will unite in the struggle continually," Mr. T. Raja told the participants. "This issue cannot be brushed aside as an internal affair of Sri Lanka. The offensive against the Eezham Tamils will affect India too." "This is not a demonstration in support of a particular organization or a leader but one that is held in sympathy of the Tamil people and the CPI has no other inner motive in this struggle," he declared adding that the Rajapaksa regime had become "a tyrant state".