The Bharatiya Janata Party’s State President, K. Annamalai stirred controversy in a tweet that claimed that only India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, could solve the problems of Sri Lanka and of the Eelam Tamil people.
The tweet featured an outline of Tamil Eelam with a tiger featured over the Tamil homeland.
இலங்கை பிரச்சனையை, மற்றும் ஈழத் தமிழர்கள் பிரச்சனையை தீர்க்க கூடிய ஒரே தலைவர் பிரதமர் திரு.@narendramodi மட்டுமே.
-மாநில தலைவர்
திரு.@annamalai_k pic.twitter.com/mzd41Rg1Ey— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) October 9, 2022
The message follows India’s abstention at the UN Human Rights Council on the resolution 51/L1 which will “extend and reinforce the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that may be used in future war crimes trials.
Throughout the session, India’s envoy stressed the need for the Sri Lankan government to meet the aspiration of Tamils on the island through the implementation of the 13th amendment. More recently, however, India agreed to provide training to 1,500 personnel of the Sri Lankan armed forces every year as part of its “Neighbourhood first policy”.
Addressing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) 15th general council, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin warned that the “BJP will stoop to any level” to win all 40 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in 2024. Stalin warned against the BJP and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) working together to divide the party and instigate religious sentiment.
In the February 2022 elections, the BJP claimed that it had emerged as the “third-largest” party in the state, a claim based on the total percentage of votes in the BJP’s favour – not the total number of seats it secured. Of the 17,082,624 votes polled, the party secured 924,755 votes or around 5.4 % of the vote.
The BJP has long come under criticism for its inaction over Tamil issues in Sri Lanka as well as the passage of the 2019 controversial Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), which excluded Eelam Tamils from securing citizenship and effectively leaving them in a state of limbo. According to the Indian government, over 90,000 Eelam Tamil refugees reside in India. The act was supported by all 11 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) members in the Rajya Sabha and passed with 125 MPs voting in favour and 99 against.
In June, Eelam Tamil refugees in Tiruchirappalli staged a protest demanding their release and calling on the Indian government and Tamil Nadu’s chief minister to recognise their demands.
Read more here: Eelam Tamil refugees protest for 9th continuous day demanding their release
In August, several, Eelam Tamils attempted to commit suicide in a special camp in Trichy Central Jail following the rejection of their demand for their release. A further five were taken into Trichy Government Hospital under critical condition.
பல கட்ட போராட்டங்களை முன்னெடுத்து பலனிக்காத நிலையில் திருச்சி சிறப்பு முகாமிலிருக்கும் 15க்கும் மேற்பட்ட இலங்கை தமிழர்கள் அளவுக்கு அதிகமான தூக்க மாத்திரைகளை சாப்பிட்டும், வயிற்றைக் கிழித்துக்கொண்டும் தற்கொலை முயற்சி (thread) pic.twitter.com/QR9huJMADA
— Sonia Arunkumar (@rajakumaari) August 18, 2021
Read more here: Eelam Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu remain in critical conditions
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