Congress leaders slam DMK MP for apology to Tamil Tiger chief Prabhakaran

Congress leaders slam DMK MP for apology to Tamil Tiger chief Prabhakaran

Congress leaders in Tamil Nadu slammed a remark by an MP from ally DMK, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, on the late Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran where she said she would like to issue an apology to him.

At an interview to a regional channel, the South Chennai MP was asked which historic personality she would like to dine with. She replied that it would be the late Tamil Tiger leader.

When asked what she would do to him, the DMK MP said that she would apologise to him. “I would apologise, I would ask his pardon for Mullivaikal tragedy,” replied Thamizhachi Thangapandian.

The Mullivaikkal massacre refers to the mass killing of tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils in 2009 during the country’s civil war.

Tamil Nadu Congress chief Mohan Kumaramangalam quoted a tweet of Thangapandian’s interview on X and wrote, “Eulogising someone who in the most dastardly fashion killed a  Prime Minister of our nation along with 14 fellow Tamilians makes sense to you?”

Prabhakaran was the prime accused in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. The charges against him were dropped the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a report stating that he was dead and the case was closed.

Mohan Kumaramangalam also quoted a UN Panel report on the Mullivaikkal massacre which said the LTTE “prevented civilians from leaving the area, ensuring their continued presence as a human buffer”.

Addressing the DMK MP, the Congress leader wrote, “I am shocked to hear a member of the Indian parliament say what you have.”

Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram also slammed Thangapandian and said, “This Prabakaran Veerappan Tamil Nationalism is as fringe as Hindutva Nationalism.” He added, “Eulogising Prabakaran doesn’t sit well with anyone in the Congress. To gloss over the dastardly assassination of Rajiv Gandhi along with 17 Tamils is not acceptable.”

The DMK MP’s interview had come on Sunday, the birth anniversary of Velupillai Prabhakaran.

ALSO READ | Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran still alive, claims MDMK leader