The president of the Congress Party Sonia Gandhi said at an election rally in the Tamil Nadu, that her party had done more than any other party for the welfare of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Speaking in Kanyakumari on the southern-most tip of India, she rejected allegations by political parties in the state, who say that the Congress has not done enough for Tamils on the island, just across the water from the town.
"I want to ask them, is there any party, which has done more than the Congress party for the Sri Lankan Tamils? Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life while fighting for our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka," she said.
Gandhi also called on Tamil Nadu to reject the BJP’s Narendra Modi.
"A dangerous combination of religious fanaticism, politics and money are coming together. Their intention is to polarize and divide people on communal lines," she alleged.
The BJP is in an alliance with several local parties in Tamil Nadu, including the MDMK, led by Vaiko, DMDK led by Vijayakanth and the PMK led by Ramadoss.
"We know once communal harmony is broken, there is no peace. No one can progress, the country cannot progress," Mrs Gandhi said.
"[Modi] claims to have a solution for all the problems in the country. He promises to make the country a paradise. But you must reject him."