“If a military advance is to be successful, it should be backed by political reforms. Unfortunately in Sri Lanka, there has not been any such initiative. This will lead to a long winter of discontent among a section of the population, which will be the reservoir of warm water where the LTTE fish would swim,” warned Suryanarayanan.

The development will have a bearing on the State politics too, said observers, as there are many outfits which are sympathetic to the LTTE’s cause, if not means.

According to CPI State Secretary D Pandian: “The form of the struggle may change, along with the battlegrounds; but this is not the end of the war. For the Tamil civilians who have been at the receiving end of this conflict, the situation will turn worse. They will suffer a lot more.”