Another Insult by Sri Lanka – G.P.Kumar
Posted on September 12th, 2012
Ira de Silva London, Canada
Attention: Mr. G. Pramod Kumar – Firstpost.Com
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
Regarding your article in Firstpost, I agree that the cartoon in Lakbima is in poor taste, should not have been published, and that the author and the newspaper should tender an apology to Mr. Manmohan Singh. However, as for the rest of the content,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ you seem to believe that the cartoon is the responsibility of the Sri Lankan Government, which it is not, so why shouldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ anyone from the Government of Sri Lanka apologise to either Mr. M. Singh or Ms. Jayalilithaa? To do so would be to acknowledge responsibility which is probably what you want.
You claim that “the cartoon, gross and nasty, has created some ripples in Sri Lanka as well, but the government of India is yet to react”. I would like to point out that before the carton was published, Sri Lankan and some Indian newspapers reported throughout the week that pilgrims from Sri Lanka visiting churches in Tamil Nadu had been “terrorised” by Ms. Jayalalithaa’s goons, buses attacked, roads blocked and police were required to escort these pilgrims to the airport.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One group of pilgrims were turned back at the airport, not allowed into India. Further Ms. Jayalalithaa had ordered a group of Sri Lankan schoolboys to leave Tamil Nadu for no reason other than that they were from Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Government of IndiaƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ is yet to react to these acts of aggression and state sponsored terrorism by Jayalalithaa. It appears that the Government of India has abdicated it’s authority to the State of Tamil Nadu regarding IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s foreign policy on Sri Lanka. Article 256 ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the IndianƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ constitution vestsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s foreign policy in the Central Government. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If any state government does not follow the rules of the Central Government the Central Government isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ vested with the power to impose PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s rule yet while visitors are being intimidated, terrorised, refused entry at the airport, the Indian Government does nothing which suggests that regarding IndiaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s foreign policy on Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu and the Central Government are still working in tandem against Sri Lanka.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is no secret that the State Government of Tamil Nadu and the Central Government worked together to develop LTTE terrorism, financedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and supported it through the thirty years of LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka. Since 2009 Jayalalithaa and Karunanadhi have taken over where Prabhakaran left off and continued to support and promote LTTE terrorists in Tamil Nadu. It is clear to Sri Lankans that Singh needs Jayalalithaa just as much as Jayalalithaa needs Singh to do this so your point ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “proxy-speak, proxy-attacks and proxy-campaigns are a way of life” in India.
You claim that evidence as described in your articleƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ points to the control the Government of Sri Lanka can exercise over the media when it so desires. The same could be said of the Indian Government and Tamil Nadu as illustrated during the last General Election in India as well as the “guidelines” issuedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ for the recent TESO conference.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As for “Jayalalithaa and the politicians of Tamil Nadu should certainly intensify their demand to the union government to be tough with Sri Lanka”ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ because of the way Mr. Singh has been ridiculed in the cartoon, in what way should the Indian Government “get tough” now when it has, with it’s ally the State Government of Tamil Nadu, been responsible for the extreme terrorism of the LTTE which resulted in the deaths of thousands, injuries to millions of Sri Lankans, deprived them of their livelihoods and destroyed the economy of Sri Lanka. Do you advocate, as does Jayalalitha, that India invade Sri Lanka? In the past India threatened invasion with planes flying over Sri Lanka and Indian naval ships off ColomboƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ so that Rajiv Ghandi couldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ impose an agreementƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ on Sri Lanka just so he could winƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ votes in Tamil Nadu. Do you envision another such scenario with your “get tough” talk?
All India’s neighbours know that India is a bullyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ trying toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ dictate to other countries in the region in it’s quest to be called a “superpower”. Reading your article it seems that you too seem to have the same mentality.
Yours truly,
Ira de Silva
London, Canada
September 12th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
MGR and Jeya are the insults to India.
It was a very good cartoon which I posted a link in Lankaweb.
September 13th, 2012 at 1:58 am
INDIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD APOLOGIES TO GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA AND TO ALL THE SRI LANKANS .
OF MATURING OF SECESSIONIST BROOD IN INDIAN SOIL AND SENDING THEM TO SRI LANKA.
TRAINING SRI LANKANS TO TOPPLE A GOVERNMENT IN MALDIVES.
DESTROING OF SRI LANKLAN’S LIVELIHOOD;SRI LANKA’S ECONOMY,
AND VIOLATING OF SRILANKA’S MARITIME BORDER LINE AND AIR SPACE,
ATTACKING SRI LANKAN PILGRIMS AND TOURISTS.
DUMPING LOW QUALITY VEHICLES AND MACHINERY IN SRI LANKA’S MARKET,
SENDING R A W SPIES TO DESTABILIZE THE COUNTRY.
FINALLY GETTING HIT AND GETTING KILLED OF ONE OF THEIR V I P S
September 13th, 2012 at 3:39 am
I agree with both previous commentators. The cartoon was good. It said so much with so little input. That was what was intended. Ira says ” the newspaper should tender an apology to Mr. Manmohan Singh ” . According to that logic the same apology would have to be tendered to Jayalalitha as well. The basic problem is not the cartoon, but the fact that we are an over sensitive people. Did the Danes apologize to the Muslims for their scurrilous cartoons ridiculing the prophet? If apologies have to be thrown about, then the satirical French newspaper the ‘Canard Enchaine’ would have nothing else to do.
Yes we are a hyper-sensitive nation surrounded by a buffalo leather skinned neighbour and critics. This I see as a weakness that those others prey on. Do we not say that we have been fashioned by the ‘gentle’ teaching of a Gentle Lord? So gentleness is a living trait of our nature. This prevents us from hitting as hard as we are hit. And when we punch back the adversary cries foul. It is in the very same vein that this neighbour and critics want us to apologize to the devilish LTTE.
Sorry folk, the cartoon depicted the truth and it is normal that such truths be considered by our gentle natures as being hurtful. Now the buffalo skinned are playing on our sentiments. No apologies are necessary. No ‘reconciliation’ (what a farce) either. What no long political analysis could do, this simple cartoon did. It brought to light the underhand collaboration between the fatty and the midget.
Let the mad dogs bark at the moon. It is not the first time anyway.
Mario Perera, Kadawata