All-party error

The Tamil Nadu political establishment’s emotive use of Sri Lankan issues has shaken governments in Delhi often enough; and, as the recently concluded meeting of members of the parliamentary parties of the DMK, the PMK, and the Tamil Nadu wings of the Congress and the Left parties shows, the Sri Lankan civil war is still a powerful disruptive force at the Centre. The meeting demanded that the UPA government ensure a ceasefire in the civil war within two weeks, or their MPs would resign en masse from the Lok Sabha. Given the numbers in Parliament, this moves from being a mark of personal protest, or the people’s representatives expressing the will of their constituents, and becomes an attempt at blackmailing the Central government on behalf of a particular state’s co-ethnics.

The reason why now is obvious: the Sri Lankan army is close to retaking the crucial town of Kilinochchi; the LTTE has its back against the wall militarily. In the past, the Tigers have called for ceasefires to help them regroup and re-arm; it is understandable that that the Sri Lankan military is chary about granting them more. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has responded to the Tamil MPs’ call by stating that civil wars of the sort that Sri Lanka has suffered since 1983 are not ended by military victory alone, but through negotiated settlement; while also expressing concern about the human cost being borne by the 220,000 people displaced by the fighting. It is clear, however, that Delhi does not intend to question Sri Lanka’s sovereign right to end terrorism on its territory, nor should it.

Tamil Nadu’s political establishment must be satisfied with that. India’s policy orientation about the civil war is delicate and nuanced — balancing concerns about human rights, sovereignty and militancy, all while taking into account the troubled history of Indian involvement in the fighting. The demands of Tamil ethnic politics cannot be allowed to disturb that.