LTTE supporters are India’s enemies: Indian Union Minister

Tuticorin: Describing pro-LTTE elements as “enemies” of the country, Union Minister of State for Textiles and senior Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan demanded the arrest of all those who “openly supported” the banned Sri Lankan outfit in Tamil Nadu.

“Those who support LTTE are the enemies of the country and Indian Government... the LTTE is a terrorist organisation,” he told reporters in Tuticorin on Saturday.

The Sri Lankan Tamils issue should be approached from the people’s view. Unfortunately a wrong picture was being projected. The LTTE did not represent Tamil people, he said. Support to the organisation did not mean support to the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. “It is diversionary tactic,” he said.

Terming the LTTE as an international terrorist outfit, Elangovan on Saturday said that even though the LTTE had been banned by 36 countries around the world, individuals and political leaders from Tamil Nadu alone have come out in its support.

“LTTE chief Prabhakaran was fighting for his own cause rather than representing the ethnic Tamils in Lanka. The Sri Lankan government should arrest him immediately in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case,” he said. Blaming the Tamil Nadu Government for its discriminatory action against a few leaders, he said, “My friend and Viduthalai Chiruthai Katchi supremo Thol Thirumavalavan should be arrested under the National Security Act.”

Dwelling on the attitude of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa in this issue, he said some political leaders were trying to divert the mind of the public with an eye on the forthcoming elections.