Comment by DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian elicited a response from Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, sparking the spat.
To gloss over the dastardly assassination of Rajiv Gandhi along with 17 Tamils is not acceptable: Karti Chidambaram.
A DMK member of Parliament and her Congress counterpart engaged in a verbal spat on X (formerly Twitter) over the LTTE leader V Prabhakaran. The clash developed into a full-scale political war on social media.
G Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal shared a video interview clip of DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian to The Federal, where she was asked to name a historical figure she would like to dine with.
The DMK MP responded that she would like to dine with “Methagu Desiya Thalaivar Prabhakaran”, which means, “His Excellency, the National Leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran”.
When asked what she would tell that person, Thamizhachi responded, “I would apologise. I would ask his pardon for that Mullaivaikal tragedy.”
கேள்வி;- நீங்கள் வரலாற்றுச் சிறப்புமிக்க ஆளுமை ஒருவருடன் உணவு சாப்பிட விரும்புகிறீர்கள் என்றால், அது யாராக இருக்கும் ?
பதில்:- “மேதகு தேசிய தலைவர் பிரபாகரன்.”
கேள்வி:- அவரிடம் நீங்கள் என்ன கேட்பீர்கள்?
பதில்:- முள்ளிவாய்க்காலுக்கு மன்னிப்புக் கோருவேன். @ThamizhachiTh 🙏… pic.twitter.com/I8hZzgtCMI
— G. Sundarrajan (@SundarrajanG) November 26, 2023
Reacting to the post on X and the statement, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, on his X handle, wrote, “Eulogising Prabakaran doesn’t sit well with anyone in India. To gloss over the dastardly assassination of Rajiv Gandhi along with 17 Tamils is not acceptable. This Prabakaran Veerappan Tamil Nationalism is as fringe as Hindutva Nationalism.”
He also wrote, “One can sympathise with and support the Palestinian people without being an endorser of Hamas. Likewise, one can stand with the Tamils of Sri Lanka in their struggle for equality and dignity without being an apologist and fanboy of the LTTE. Why is this difficult to comprehend?”
The Congress MP had also shared his interview clip on News 18 Tamil questioning why no one was speaking about the 16 persons who died along with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Eulogising Prabakaran doesn’t sit well with anyone in @INCIndia. To gloss over the dastardly assassination of Rajiv Gandhi along with 17 Tamils is not acceptable.
This Prabakaran Veerappan Tamil Nationalism is as fringe as Hindutva Nationalism https://t.co/VZJztVMXWP— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) November 27, 2023
After the Congress leader’s post, the DMK social media handles and pro-LTTE supporters took to criticising Karti Chidambaram’s stand.
DMK ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi’s (VCK) deputy general secretary Vanni Arasu took on the Congress MP, questioning him, “How long would you degrade Tamils by using the assassination of Thiru Rajiv Gandhi?”
He said, “Methagu Prabhakaran, the leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, had waged an uncompromising battle against the Buddhist Sinhala majoritarianism and for the minority Tamil Eelam people. Santana Hindutva seeks to establish majoritarianism. Methagu Prabhakaran’s politics will never be supportive of Hindutva ideology.”
The VCK leader tweeted: “Tamils continue to live in unspeakable horror in Tamil Eelam. It’s time for the Congress to bring about a change in its stand. Madam Indira Gandhi extended her support to the LTTE and Methagu Prabhakaran in line with the ideology of protecting minorities. Nobody is celebrating Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. He chose his end. To support Methagu Prabhakaran is to oppose Hindutva.”
Methagu Prabhakaran,
the leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, had waged an uncompromising battle against the Buddhist Sinhala majoritarianism and for the minority Tamil Eelam people. Santana Hindutva seeks to establish majoritarianism. Methagu Prabhakaran 's politics will… https://t.co/M6JG7KMgfz— வன்னி அரசு (@VanniKural) November 27, 2023
However, in support of Karti Chidambaram, the vice-president of the Congress state unit, Rama Suganthan, tweeted, “If the Buddhist majority were against the interest of Sri Lankan Tamils, why are many converting to Buddhism in Tamil Nadu? The failure of LTTE is only after they chose to side with Premadasa and oppose India, carrying out the mercenary assassination of Rajiv Gandhi Ji!”
Reacting to the Congress MP’s tweet, BJP state vice-president Narayanan Tirupathy said that DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin gave a warm hug to welcome Perarivalan, one of the convicts responsible for the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, after his release from prison. “That clearly explains @INCIndia‘s lust for power above its leader’s life.”
He said, “Your comparison of Tamil nationalism and Hindu nationalism shows your immaturity and arrogance. Hindutva nationalism is nothing but cultural nationalism. Of course, It is a known fact that those who formed Congress and those who are at the helm of affairs belong to European culture and hence, no wonder you spit venom on Hindu culture”
The BJP leader tweeted, “Stop creating a scene as if you are concerned about the dastardly assassination of the former Prime Minister and 17 Thamizhs. If you are really concerned, the next second you will be out of Congress, or Congress will be out of DMK alliance.”
Oh! Is that so? Your party @INCIndia & @INCTamilNadu were mute spectators when none other than the @arivalayam leader @mkstalin gave a warm hug to welcome Perarivalan, one of the convicts responsible for the assassination of Shri.Rajiv Gandhi, after his release from the… https://t.co/bcq4EgMzCK
— Narayanan Thirupathy (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@narayanantbjp) November 27, 2023
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