Prabhakaran’s ghost returns to haunt India
April 19, 2010 07:07 am
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has moved on after LTTE, and has won the presidential and parliamentary elections with thumping majorities. But the DMK government in Tamil Nadu is still struggling to rid itself of the slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran’s ghost.
The decision of the immigration authorities at the Chennai
international airport to deport Prabhakaran’s ailing mother Parvathi Velupillai
to
Parvathi, who is suffering from a paralytic stroke, arrived in Chennai by a Malaysian Airline flight on Friday night with a medical visa valid for six months. She was accompanied by a female attendant.
However, the 79-year-old was not allowed to disembark and forced to return by the same flight.
“We don’t see how a 79-year-old ailing lady could be a
threat. When the Sri Lankan authorities have clearly signalled the end of LTTE,
what is the DMK government afraid of? May be the DMK government does not want
to rub the Congress on the wrong side,” Sumathi Narayanan, a 45-year-old
entrepreneur who travels a lot to
Even DMK’s close ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK)
strongly condemned the action of the immigration authorities. “The inhuman
attitude of the immigration authorities is highly condemnable. Annai (mother)
Parvathi has suffered in mind and body. She has lost her husband recently. The
entire episode is regrettable,” VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan said in a
strongly worded statement. “I request the DMK government to ensure treatment to
her in Chennai,” he added.
Former DMK ally PMK, a party which is now again trying to
woo Karunanidhi’s support, also assailed the decision to deport Parvathi.
“Even worst criminals are allowed medical aid on
humanitarian ground. It is unfortunate that the immigration authorities behaved
in such an abominable manner,” he said.
Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P Nedumaran and MDMK founder Vaiko were at the airport to receive Parvathi. But the two political leaders were not allowed to meet her citing security reasons.
Some of the pro-Tamil parties staged demonstrations in various parts of the state against the decision to deport Parvathi.
Parvathi has been under the care of a distant relative MK
Sivajilingam after the death of her husband Thiruvengadam Velupillai in January
this year.
Sivajilingam proposed to send Parvathi to her daughter
Vinothini Rajendran, who lives in
As the Canadian visa is expected to take around three months
to process, he decided to send her to