NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay’s statement expressing “solidarity for the rights of our Tamil kin living across the seas” on the anniversary of the 2009 military offensive against LTTE in Sri Lanka’s Mullivaikkal led BJP to question Tuesday whether this didn’t touch a raw nerve in Congress. “This is unacceptable. LTTE not only masterminded the killing of our former PM Rajiv Gandhi but was also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of brave jawans of the Indian army who had, as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, been sent to help restore peace. Yet Congress decides to keep mum. This is brazen political expediency,” former I&B minister Anurag Thakur said. BJP’s Amit Malviya said: “Of course, Rahul Gandhi would have no problem with it, as long as Congress gets a slice of power. After all, DMK too was an LTTE apologist.” In his first statement on Eelam Tamils since becoming CM, Vijay avoided naming LTTE, its slain chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, or even Sri Lanka. Congress is yet to respond to Vijay’s statement.
