CHENNAI, DEC 5: The compulsions of coalition politics saw the Union Home Minister in the same hall as hardcore campaigners of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last week, creating a potential security risk. The occasion was the wedding of the son of MDMK leader V Gopalasamy (Vaiko) on Sunday.Police sources say that Vaiko did not inform them or the Union Home Ministry of the invitations to the Eelam supporters though several VVIPs facing high security risk - including L K Advani, who is in the `Z' category - were supposed to attend the wedding.Among the VVIPs present were Advani, Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde and Defence Minister George Fernandes. Vaiko's list of guests also included LTTE chief V Prabhakaran's parents and Kasi Anandan, who is among the 21 suspects named in Justice M C Jain's final report on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.Sources say that minutes before Advani arrived at the wedding hall, Prabhakaran's father Vellupillai (who now lives in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu) was movedfrom the dais to an ante-room with a guard posted, apparently to avoid any embarrassment to the Home Minister. But 10 minutes later, he was back in the midst of the VVIP crowd.The Eelam campaigners, including Kasi Anandan, made pro-Eelam speeches and even some pro-LTTE references at the wedding. (The Jain Commission had said that the role of Kasi Anandan and other suspects in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination should be investigated. And the multi-disciplinary monitoring agency set up by the Centre is to probe his role in the assassination.)While blessing the newly-weds, Kasi Ananthan is said to have stated that the couple should beget Tiger-like kids (LTTE members are called Tigers).Not to be left behind, Eelavendan, another Eelam campaigner, hailed Vaiko as the ``firm pillar'' of the Tamil Eelam movement. ``There is nothing for us to feel shy about. Vaiko is a big source of strength for the Eelam movement,'' Eelavendan told The Indian Express. He also claimed that he had a brief chat with Advani,Fernandes and Hegde at the wedding.But, what raised several eyebrows at the function was MDMK MP Ganeshamoorthy's speech. Stating that Vaiko had a grandson by name Prabhakaran, Ganeshamoorthy is said to have told the gathering that Prabhakaran and Vaiko were the only saviours of the Tamils.Vaiko, when contacted, said there was nothing wrong in inviting Eelam sympathisers to the wedding. ``I am also a staunch supporter of Eelam and they are my personal friends,'' he said. As for the presence of Prabhakaran's father at the wedding, he said Velupillai had nothing to do with the LTTE movement.
