Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) former international arms procurer and V Prabhakaran’s right hand man, Kumaran Pathmanathan, has revealed the reason behind former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. Kumaran Pathmanathan spoke exclusively to VK Shashikumar of THL-Mediagrove.
Prabhakaran was deeply influenced by DMK ideology and the party’s anti-Brahmin outlook may have driven the Tamil Tiger supremo to kill Rajiv Gandhi, said Kumaran Pathmanathan.
He said that he wants to apologise for killing Rajiv Gandhi but added that if the LTTE had a chance they would have killed AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa.
Transcript of the interview:
VK Shashikumar: Can you tell us once and for all, did Prabhakaran planned Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination?
Kumaran Patmanathan: It was well planned and done by Prabhakaran. It is the truth and everybody knows it. At this point I what to say to the Indian people and specially to the Gandhi family, I want to apologise for Prabhakaran mistake. I say please forgive us, we beg you, our people are struggling here, please help us to live as humans. Sorry for all this. We know the feeling of the son of Rajiv Gandhi and that his daughter.
It’s a human nature. It is bonding with father and daughter attachment. Even sometime I left my daughter I feel very sad they know. You know the family sentiment.
VK Shashikumar: you were a senior member of LTTE. You know the truth. Isn’t it a fact that several politician and political parties did support and push Tamil people into violence?
Kumaran Patmanathan: Actually you know still in Tamil Nadu, Periyar wanted Dravida Nadu meaning he wanted Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra separated from the north. This is the propaganda and he started the organisation. From this Dravidian politics emerged Annadurai and Karunanidhi. This ideology failed its course. This idea they passed to Prabhakaran. They influenced him with anti-Brahmin ideas. That’s why he made all those blunders like that against Rajiv Gandhi. They (Tamil politician) have lost their course and then moved on to use Prabhakaran to achieve their goals.
VK Shashikumar: are you saying DMK ideologically influenced Prabhakaran to take the step of Rajiv Gandhi assassination?
Kumaran Patmanathan: This one I can’t say. But they fed him with some kind of influence against Brahmins. This maybe one of the reasons. That’s why he hated the Prime Minister of India.
VK Shashikumar: What about the DMK? How did they supported the LTTE?
Kumaran Patmanathan: Vaiko was a part of DMK earlier. Some DMK MPs and MLAs are very close with us. You know Karunanidhi is a senior politician but he also used the LTTE card time to time.
VK Shashikumar: What about Jayalalithaa? Was she or wasn’t she in the hit list of LTTE?
Kumaran Patmanathan: She always felt so. Also if LTTE got a chance they would have tried because she was always against LTTE.
