IANS/Chennai
DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) president M Karunanidhi, PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) founder S Ramadoss and MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader Vaiko yesterday attacked India’s decision to invite Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to the swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi as India’s new prime minister on Monday.
The three leaders added voice to the objection raised a day earlier by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) leader J Jayalalithaa.
All of them blame Rajapakse for the alleged deaths of thousands of Tamils in the war against the Tamil Tigers that ended in 2009.
The invitation to Rajapakse and his decision to attend the Monday ceremony cannot be welcomed by the people of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi said in a statement issued here.
Ramadoss urged the BJP government to revisit the invite to Rajapakse. Ramadoss said Rajapakse should have never been invited in the first place.
Vaiko flew to New Delhi yesterday and met Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh to express outrage over the invitation extended to the Sri Lankan president.
“When Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the prime minister, he did not invite the Sri Lankan president for his swearing-in ceremony. Why is he being invited now?” Vaiko asked at a media meet here.
All major political parties in Tamil Nadu barring the BJP and the Congress have opposed Rajapakse visit.
On Thursday, Jayalalithaa termed the invitation “unfortunate” and said it was “tantamount to rubbing salt into the wounds of an already deeply injured Tamil psyche”.
