An under-15 cricket team from Sri lanka, which had come to Chennai on Sunday night for participating in a tournament, was expelled by the Tamil Nadu Government early Monday morning.
A group of officers of the Tamil Nadu Police woke up the team members from a city hotel in the wee hours of Monday and escorted them to the airport. The cricket team flew back to Colombo by a scheduled flight on Monday morning. They were told by the police officials that their presence in the city would lead to law and order problems.
The action is seen as retaliation by the Jayalalithaa Government for the controversial article “Jaya's love letters to Modi” posted on the website of the Sri lankan Defence Ministry last week for which the Government of the island nation had tendered a public apology to both — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
The article, authored by freelance columnist Shenali Waduge , allegedly contained derogatory remarks against Jayalalithaa, according to major political parties in the State including the DMK, Jaya's main rival.
“Just a few minutes after the lankan team had checked in to a city hotel the police arrived and informed that their presence in the city could pose a security threat and escorted them back to the airport.
“They remained in the terminal from 1.30 am till this morning before they were sent back to Colombo by a 7 am flight,” JM Haroon, the tournament organiser and a two-time MP of the Congress, told reporters.
The Congress leader expressed his disappointment over the action of the Tamil Nadu Government in sending back the team.
“The boys would have got some international exposure. What do these boys have to do with politicsIJ” asked Haroon. He also disclosed that a team from Malaysia is also participating in the tournament.
In 2012, the Tamil Nadu Government had expelled a 15-member football team from Colombo which had come to play exhibition matches in the city. Jayalalithaa even got suspended a staff of the Tamil Nadu Sports Authority for facilitating the ground to the Sri lankan team for match practice and training session.
Various Tamil chauvinist organisations continued their protest rallies in front of the Sri lankan deputy high commissioner office in Chennai.
Meanwhile, a new controversy has erupted over the release of Kaththi, a movie starring Vijay. Groups supporting the lTTE has spread word that they would not allow its exhibition in the State as Subaskaran Allirajah, one of the producers of the movie, is reported to have business links with Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri lankan president.
AR Murugadoss, director of the movie, has pleaded with leaders of various pro-lTTE outfits P Nedumaran, Thol Thirumavalavan and Francis Seeman for their help to resolve the issue.