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Journalism of Courage
Union Home Minister L.K. Advani8217;s address at the Tamils8217; Awakening Conference at Erode on Sunday has certainly served to allay a major apprehension voiced in some quarters on the eve of his participation in the event. Those who advised against the association with such a conference of so high-level a government representative, argued that it would indicate official approval or, at the very least, the absence of strong official disapproval, of the organisers8217; utterly unacceptable stand on the Sri Lankan issue. The home minister could not have cleared the air in more categorical terms. He has kept his party8217;s promise that his participation would serve the purpose of explaining New Delhi8217;s Sri Lanka policy and emphasising its imperatives. He has bearded the Tiger8217; in its own Tamil Nadu den by his blunt rejection of the Eelam8217; demand and reiteration of India8217;s commitment to the cause of the island-nation8217;s unity and territorial integrity. He has minced no words in warning his hosts, the Marumalarchi DMK and V.Gopalasamy alias Vaiko, against the egregious folly of fostering secessionism against a friendly neighbour, even while seeking international support against similar forces in Kashmir.
Advani8217;s commendable plainspeaking, however, does not allay other apprehensions raised by the conference. Certainly it did not lay at rest the fear of fundamental differences on the issue persisting within the ruling National Democratic Alliance. Indeed, the conference only went to confirm that the NDA drift on an important foreign policy question continues. There will be few takers for the claim that the NDA has closed ranks on the issue, specially at this conference. Vaiko may claim that his party has behaved with quot;responsibilityquot; and quot;restraintquot; but it was precisely these two aspects that were missing at the conference, except for the duration of Advani8217;s address. If Vaiko lacks credibility when he denies the MDMK8217;s consistently pro-Eelam and pro-LTTE commitment, all accounts from Erode are agreed on the unrestrained articulation of the stand by the party cadre and at least one important ally. While the Prabhakaran pictures and pro-Tiger slogans, despite all talk about the MDMK as a disciplined NDAmember, told their own story, the Pattali Makkal Katchi chief S. Ramadoss prophesied the quot;inevitablequot; creation of Eelam and proclaimed that neither he nor Vaiko had quot;given up our principlesquot;.
