He is known for his political inconsistencies, but MDMK general secretary Vaiko has been unwavering in his very vocal commitment to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cause. While sources close to the leader say he still hasn’t ‘accepted’ the death of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, the fact remains that Vaiko will have to rethink his political rhetoric, which has always been centred on his confidence that the LTTE would win its war against the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). Now, as the fighting capabilities of the rebels have been reduced to nothing, he will have to raise his voice about the plight of Tamil civilians.

“The Tigers’ blood run through our veins — their dream is our dream, too,” thundered Vaiko from innumerable stages across the state, as the war in Sri Lanka between the Army and the rebels intensified in the recent past. But with the end of conventional warfare between the SLA and LTTE, this dream may have come to a permanent end. For Vaiko, the timing couldn’t be worse, with many pointing to a parallel between the military defeat and his electoral drubbing from Virudhunagar constituency in the recent elections.

The MDMK leader’s staunch support to the cause of securing an independent land for Lankan Tamils connected him to a section of the public and some pro-Tamil organisations, although this was not enough to make the party a major electoral force.

“Over all these years, Vaiko put all his energy behind the LTTE. He never had any doubt that they would be victorious. Now he will have to start talking about the ways and means of rehabilitating the civilians as the time for taking up arms is over, at least for now,” said a Tamil politician.

... contd.