There is nothing strange in Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi inviting Sri lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the swearing-in, according to Tamil Nadu BJP president Pon Radhakrishnan. “It is perfectly alright and there is nothing surprising in the move. What Modi has done is in line with statesmanship and diplomacy. He should not be criticised for sending invitation to Rajapaksa or any other leaders of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation countries,” Radhakrishnan, the newly elected MP from Kanyakumari told The Pioneer.
He said there was no ambiguity in the BJP about the invitation. “It is the celebration of democracy. We need not mix the Tamil ethnic issue in the island nation with this,” he said. Radhakrishnan said it was unfortunate that certain NDA leaders in Tamil Nadu has gone to the media criticising Modi’s invitation to Rajapaksa. “Our responsibility is to help the new Government to resolve the ethnic Tamil issue in manner helpful to the Tamils in the island nation,” he said.
MDMK chief Vaiko, who is a vocal critic of Rajapaksa, wrote to BJP chief Rajnath Singh and other leaders of the party pleading them not to allow Rajapaksa to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi. “With folded hands and anguish, I request you, Rajnath Singh and NDA leaders not to permit the Sri lankan President to take part in the event. His participation will hurt and cause pain to the Tamils,” Vaiko said in the statement.
But Radhakishnan is of the view that the new Government should be allowed to work on the ethnic Tamil issue for at least six months. “let’s wait till next Pongal (Tamil’s main festival which falls in January) and then see the result. It is satisfying to note that the attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri lankan Navy has come down drastically since September 2013. The attacks came down after the BJP announced Modi as the party’s prime ministerial candidate,” said Radhakrishnan.
N Sathyamoorthy, an expert in India-Sri lanka ties, welcomed the move by the PM-designate to invite Rajapaksa for the swearing-in ceremony. “This will go a long way in strengthening the relations between India and Sri lanak. There is no possibility of any heart-burning in Tamil Nadu because of this issue,” said Sathyamoorthy. He also pointed out that despite Vaiko being a strong votary of the lankan Tamils, he lost the election in 2009 as well as 2014. “For people in Tamil Nadu, the ethnic issue in Sri lanka is not a major problem,” he said.
A K Raman, social activist and a known supporter of the Sri lankan Tamils' demand for equal rights described the invitation as a new beginning. “All these SAARC nations were part of India at one time or other in history. It is like inviting relatives, and neighbours for an auspicious function in one's family,” said Raman.
A source close to Dr Ramdoss of the PMK said that the party chief rang up Narendra Modi on Thursday for congratulating him on his election as the parliamentary leader of the BJP. “It is unlikely that the PMl leader would make any comment on this topic,” he said.