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TNA deliberately misleading the Tamil people, says Anandasangaree
Veerasingham Anandasangaree is not someone who is afraid to speak his mind. At 81 and semi-retired from politics, the onetime Parliamentarian and General Secretary of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) has made some new public disclosures, questioning the legitimacy of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), better known as the Federal Party (FP).
Raising such questions will no doubt ruffle quite a few feathers, particularly among Tamil politicians of today, but that has not deterred the octogenarian politician from going public with such matters. “The Tamil people are being deliberately misled by the TNA. The people want peace, but after winning elections, they (the TNA politicians) are not working towards that goal,” Mr. Anandasangaree told the Sunday Times.
And to illustrate the point, he made public this week, a two-part document titled ‘The TNA and ITAK should declare their true identities’, in which he claimed that, both the ITAK and the TNA were started fraudulently and without proper authority, and hence, has no moral right to function. Mr. Anandasangaree first entered Parliament in 1970, contesting the Kilinochchi seat on the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) ticket, but it was way back in 1959 that he made his maiden attempt at an election by contesting a seat in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), also on the LSSP ticket. He lost, but it was not altogether surprising, given that he was up against veteran Colombo politician V.A. Sugathadasa.
Later, he became a founder-member of the TULF, and was among 18 members from the Party elected to Parliament in 1977. But since then, the TULF has lost its relevance, with the TNA and the ITAK taking over the mantle, emerging as the main representatives of the Tamil people. However, Mr. Anandasangaree says this Alliance has long abandoned the principles of the founding father, S.J.V Chelvanayagam of the ITAK and the TULF,
“ITAK was founded in 1949 by S.J.V Chelvanayagam, breaking away from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, which he and G.G. Ponnambalam started in 1945. ITAK was formed, based on Mahathma Gandhi’s principle of non-violence, to which he remained totally committed throughout his life,” Mr. Anandasangaree said.
The TULF was founded in 1972 on the initiative of Mr. Chelvanayagam, which led to the merger of ITAK and the Tamil Congress, while Ceylon Workers Congress leader, S. Thondaman too was brought in to share the TULF Presidency along with Mr. Chelvanayagam, in a move to strengthen the TULF.
“The TULF was built on such a strong foundation to serve the Tamil cause, as a permanent body, and not meant to be meddled with by everybody. Mr Chelvanayagam was fully committed to the TULF. Even though he was a Christian, when he passed away, according to his wishes, his remains were taken for cremation at the Jaffna esplanade, draped in the TULF’s official flag bearing the ‘rising sun’ emblem,” he said.
He also said that, by forming the TULF, Mr. Chelvanayagam very clearly indicated he had no intention of reviving the ITAK. Mr. Anandasangaree also alleged that the name TNA is being misused by those who are members of the Alliance at present. “A memorandum was signed on 22.10.2001, to which the TULF was party, but not the ITAK, as it was virtually defunct at the time. By using the name TNA in the 2004 elections, along with arbitrarily reviving the ITAK, people were duped into voting for the Party, and this allowed the LTTE to fill the nomination list with candidates of its choice,” he alleged.
“The LTTE’s political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan finalised the TNA’s nomination list, but one member of the Alliance, Kingsley Rasanayagam who was elected from the Batticaloa District and who did not receive the LTTE’s blessings, was forced to resign from Parliament. A few days later he was assassinated by the LTTE,” he said.
He said that the TNA and ITAK should be held responsible for Mr. Rasanayagam’s death, as he was forced to resign against his wishes, in order to appease the LTTE. “The TNA did not condemn a single atrocity of the LTTE. They perpetuated the worst violence post 2004, but the TNA remained silent and refused to take a stance against the violence,” he said.
Mr Anandasangaree said that the TNA and the ITAK are being propped up by some sections of the Tamil media, while they toe the agenda set by the diaspora, and said his recent decision to quit Parliamentary politics was due to the manner in which he was sidelined by the TNA/ITAK. “The bitter experiences I had during the local and Parliamentary elections in 2004 and thereafter, led to my decision,” he said, adding that he will continue to devote his time and energy to strengthen the TULF.
“I am a reasonable man. I have stated my position that an Indian model of devolution of power will work for this country. The TNA should attend the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the national question and put forward its views. If it does not agree with the other side, its members should go there and say so. Otherwise, the TNA will keep losing support as is happening now,” he warned.
For the TULF General Secretary, being abandoned by many of his political allies of the past, has not made him lose any of the enthusiasm he has for seeing a better deal for the Tamil people and real unity among Tamil politicians. “I invite all those in the TNA and ITAK to join the TULF. I am willing to give up the leadership if they have a problem with my being here, but we all have to get together and agree on a reasonable solution,” he added.