The just-concluded elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly saw the resurgence of sympathies towards the cause of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). And it is a far cry from the days of the Jayalalithaa government’s first crackdown on pro-Eelam elements.



For these elections, Jayalalithaa had to align with the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI), two parties that favour a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Since December, when the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) organised an Eelam Tamils Protection Meeting in Chennai, various pro-LTTE parties have held meetings and rallies in support of the struggle without any police interference. The dpi and other parties protested against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s proposed visit to Chennai last year, forcing Jayalalithaa to cancel her appointment with Rajapakse.



The Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) held public meetings in support of Eelam, which drew huge crowds in cities including Chennai. A photo exhibition was organised and several books on the struggle were sold at the meetings. “There was overwhelming response. 1, 500 copies of Oppanthangalai Seerkulaithaithu Yaar (Who violated the agreements?) authored by Viduthalai Rajendran were sold at the Coimbatore meeting alone,” says a PDK cadre.



Many Tamil youngsters have looked upon LTTE chief Prabhakaran as a hero. “There is still a lot of sympathy and support for LTTE in the state. This is a genuine feeling which cannot be wiped out even if few newspapers write against the LTTE,” says SV Rajadurai, former national vice-president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties.



The upsurge in pro-Eelam sentiment is not without reason. The Supreme Court’s observation in 2003 that an individual’s mere expression of moral support to a banned organisation does not constitute an offence under pota gave a boost to pro-Eelam supporters who had always argued that they were not against national interests.



In May last year, the Central pota Review Committee observed that it found no prima facie case for proceeding against Tamil Nationalist Movement president Pazha Nedumaran, stating that “sympathy or oral support for the cause of Eelam Tamils does not mean support for the ideology or methodology adopted by LTTE”.



Nedumaran, who was imprisoned for 16 months, continues to champion the cause of LTTE. “We continue to support the formation of Eelam, and regard LTTE as the sole representative of Eelam Tamils,” he told Tehelka. In the May 8 polls, his party appealed to the people to vote for candidates who support Eelam. However, the PDK and DK were with the DMK alliance. “The DMK will not support the LTTE, but it would respect sentiments of parties like ours, unlike the aiaDMK,” said PDK chief Kolathur Mani.



The DMK has never supported LTTE and would never do so in future, say DMK leaders. “The LTTE received lot of support from mgr in the 80s. LTTE once refused to receive money from DMK (lest it would annoy mgr),” said DMK organising secretary TKS Elangovan. Karunanidhi was identified with other outfits.



The DMK, he said, would support the policy of the Union government on Sri Lanka.



“We are interested in the welfare of Eelam Tamils. If the Tamils are put to hardship, we will impress upon the Centre to intervene and protect the Tamils,” said Elangovan.



However, few feel that the sudden rise in pro-Eelam activities in the state is linked to Assembly elections. “No party wants to lose the votes of Eelam supporters,” said human rights activist Agni Subramaniam.



“The compulsion of electoral politics works both ways. (While the government remained mum on pro-Eelam activities) The MDMK and DPI have stopped talking about Eelam because of their alliance with Jayalalithaa. Neither Vaiko nor Thirumavalavan condemned the bombing of Tamil areas by Lankan forces.”