Work for welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils: Namal Rajapaksa
Namal, son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, issued a two-page statement tearing into MDMK chief Vaiko, PMK’s S Ramadoss and VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan for their comments criticizing Gotabaya’s ascension to presidency.“A few leaders in Tamil Nadu had never thought constructively about the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils. Instead, they use the Sri Lankan Tamils as a tool to further their opportunistic political needs.
The statements by Vaiko, Thirumavalavan and Ramadoss criticizing Gotabaya’s election is nothing but an attempt to create a further rift,” Namal said in the statement in Tamil.Gotabaya, who was Defence Secretary during the last phase of the civil war in 2009 that ended the 30-year reign of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), is much disliked in Tamil Nadu for his alleged role in the crimes committed during the war.
Namal asked political leaders in Tamil Nadu to contribute their bit in uplifting the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka. Tamils live pre-dominantly in North and Eastern parts of the island which was infested by a civil war for three decades. Normalcy is limping back in these areas after the end of the war in 2009.
The statement by Namal is seen as yet another attempt by the powerful Rajapaksa family to reach out to the Tamils who are still hostile to them.
The North and Eastern parts had overwhelmingly supported Gotabaya’s rival Sajith Premadasa in the November 16 presidential polls.
Recalling a visit by a delegation of MPs from India, which included Thirumavalavan, to Sri Lanka after the war, Namal said these leaders had not just visited north and east but had also engaged with the leadership and learned from on the initiatives taken to help the minorities.
“The new president and the new government that will be formed soon will work with good intentions and in a transparent manner on all occasions. I appeal to political leaders in Tamil Nadu to stop criticizing the President and think constructively about welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils,” Namal said in the statement.
Shun opportunistic politics: Namal Rajapaksa tells TN parties
Chennai, Nov 19 | Sri Lanka MP and nephew of newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Namal Rajapaksa, has urged Tamil Nadu politicians to shun opportunistic politics and behave responsibly for the betterment of Lankan Tamils.
Namal Rajapaksa is the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
He was reacting to the concerns expressed by political parties in Tamil Nadu on the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Some political parties in Tamil Nadu have expressed concern at Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s poll victory.
In a tweet, Namal Rajapaksa urged the Tamil Nadu parties to stop criticising the elected President of Sri Lanka and think about the welfare of Tamils in the island nation.
He also said that political leaders in Tamil Nadu never thought deeply about the welfare of the Lankan Tamils, but used the latter as their political dice.
Namal Rajapaksa also recalled the visit of MPs belonging to the DMK and the leader of VCK Thol Thirumalavan in 2009 and the friendly discussions they had with then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
All the political parties in Tamil Nadu have been demanding the trial of Mahinda Rajapaksa for war crimes and human rights violations against Tamils since 2009, when the internal strife ended in the island nation with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Reacting to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s electoral victory, DMK President M.K. Stalin said that Tamils all over the world, including those in Sri Lanka, were disappointed.
Stalin said the United Nations and the world knows about Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s animosity towards the Tamils.
The DMK leader also urged Gotabaya Rajapaksa to shed his enmity towards Tamils and treat them as citizens with constitutional rights.
MDMK leader Vaiko had termed the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the saddest day for the Tamil race as he was the Defence Secretary when thousands of Tamils were killed in 2009.
On his part, PMK Founder S. Ramadoss said that after the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a separate Tamil Eelam is the only solution for the safety and welfare of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Ramadoss said Tamils who are treated as second class citizens in Sri Lanka would now be treated as fourth grade citizens.