In the Tigers den

As Chief Minister M Karunanidhi puts it,the states relationship with the LTTE has two phases before and after Rajiv Gandhis assassination in 1991.

As Chief Minister M Karunanidhi puts it,the states relationship with the LTTE has two phases before and after Rajiv Gandhis assassination in 1991. Though Karunanidhi was explaining his partys stand towards the Tigers,it holds true for many in Tamil Nadu. Years later,even as discussions centre on the terrorist tag of the rebels and the resultant harm that it caused to the Tamil Eelam cause,some still consider the LTTE as representing the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

He too has photos with Prabhakaran

A senior supporter in Tamil Nadu is Pazha Nedumaran,president of the Tamil Nationalist Movement,a fringe organisation. If the photographs released by the Lankan Army had Vaiko sporting a pistol,an old picture has a much younger Nedumaran with LTTE chief V Prabhakaran holding what appears to be a rocket launcher.

A Congressman during the 60s and 70s,Nedumaran has been an LTTE supporter since 1983 and has written books on the struggles of Lankan Tamils.

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After Rajivs assassination,Nedumaran was one of the leading activists who protested against the death sentence awarded to those convicted for the crime. When the NDA Government introduced POTA,Nedumaran was jailed under the Act by then chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The most vocal supporter

If Nedumaran is the most senior,Vaiko is the most vocal. A leader who rose through the ranks of DMK in the 80s,V Gopalasamy alias Vaiko was always known for his oratorial skills. The bloody conflict in Sri Lanka became an ideal subject for his firebrand speeches.

Vaikos rise in state politics owes a lot to his consistent support to the Tamil Eelam in Lanka,and his solidarity with the Tigers. In 1989,Vaiko undertook a trip to LTTE-controlled areas and launched the pro-Tamil Marumalarichi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) in 1993.

During the time of Nedumarans arrest,Jaya also got Vaiko arrested under POTA for his speeches supporting the LTTE. For all his support for the cause,Vaikos political flip-flops still remain an irony. When in prison,he reportedly gave instructions to party functionaries to support the DMK,the parent party. The party contested the 2004 election under Karunanidhis leadership,but jumped ship two years later,during the Assembly elections. Even now,he remains a faithful ally of Jayalalithaa,who is the most severe critic of the LTTE in Tamil Nadu.

Eelam Means Tigers,Tigers Mean Eelam

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Then there is Thol Thirumavalavan,the president of a Dalit outfit,the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK),earlier known as Dalit Panthers of India. His attraction to Tamil nationalism took Thirumavalavan closer to the Eelam cause. Thirumavalavan openly supports the LTTE for its aim of protecting the identity of Lankan Tamils. His cadres sport T-shirts that have photos of

Prabhakaran or the Tiger-sword insignia of the LTTE.

Espousing his beliefs,Thirumavalavan has written a book titled Eelam Means Tigers,Tigers Mean Eelam,and has also appeared in a cameo role,that of a Tamil militant,in Sri Lanka. Criticising the Centre for supporting the Lankan Army,Thirumavalavan has resolved to work for the defeat of the Congress in the coming elections. But in one of the ironies of practical politics,both VCK and Congress are alliance partners of the ruling DMK,despite their strong opposition to each other.

He trained rebels in early 80s

If others crossed the strait to meet the Tigers,Kolathur Mani,yet another LTTE supporter,shot to fame when it was known that he was involved in training rebel personnel in Tamil Nadu. In the early 80s,when India was sympathetic to the Tamils in Lanka,Mani organised training camps for LTTE cadres at his home village of Kolathur. That was the period when the state was allegedly extending covert support to the armed struggle in Lanka.

Mani,a follower of Periyars teachings,was one of the office-bearers of the Dravida Kazhagam,the parent organisation of the DMK. Later,when the organisation split,he joined the nascent Periyar Dravida Kazhagam and is now its president. According to the report of the Jain Commission,which probed Rajivs assassination,Mani had knowledge about those involved and was instrumental in transporting them from Bangalore to Chennai. In 1995,he was in the news in connection with the daring escape of 43 LTTE cadres they got out of Vellore Fort by digging a 153- feet tunnel but he was acquitted by the court.

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Mani was also among the special group of emissaries (led by Nedumaran) who held talks with Veerappan to release Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar whom the brigand had kidnapped. Now,Mani is back in the limelight after being arrested twice in a span of three months,all for supporting the LTTE.

In the limelight for seditious speeches

In a state where the silver screen and politics are so tightly connected,it is not surprising to find film director/actor Seeman among those who are in the forefront of the struggle for the Tamils in Lanka. A Tamil activist who is said to have been attracted by the Marxist principles,Seeman started his film career as an assistant director,and took a special interest in highlighting the sufferings undergone by the Tamils in Lanka in recent times.

During the course of a speech at Rameshwaram,Seeman defended Rajivs assassination,stating that the late prime minister had betrayed the Lankan Tamils. He was soon arrested on charges of making seditious speech,along with MDMK leaders Vaiko,Kannappan and another film director Ameer Sultan.

Even after the arrest and warning,Seeman has continued his open support for the LTTE,for which he was again arrested at Tirunelveli for a case registered in Puducherry,where he reportedly made seditious speeches. He was subsequently charged under the provisions of National Security Act.