Leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil parties need to step up their engagement with India for resolving the Tamil issue, according to A. Varatharaja Perumal, former Chief Minister of the once-unified North-Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.
In an interview with The Hindu after taking part in a book launch event in Coimbatore on Saturday, Mr. Varatharaja Perumal, who held the CM post nearly for one-and-a-half years during December 1988-March 1990 following the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, said there had to be pressure from the Tamil parties and their leaders, “who are not acting [in this regard].”
Recalling how Tamil rebel groups and parties were, during 1983-87, in frequent contact with Indian leaders, both in New Delhi and Tamil Nadu, the former leader of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) pointed out that a similar relationship did not exist now. “Merely sitting at a hotel in Jaffna and writing a letter to Prime Minister [Modi] would not work,” he observed.
Conceding that the Indian government too had a responsibility on the Tamil question even though it could not do what it did between 1983 and 1990, the 70-year-old former CM, who shuttles between India and Sri Lanka, said: “The Government of India cannot act in isolation. It needs the support of Indian people and leaders. There should be a voice within India for devolution and the political settlement [to be worked out in Sri Lanka]. This can be possible only if the Tamil leaders maintain close ties with leaders in New Delhi and Tamil Nadu. So, the primary responsibility lies with them.”
At the same time, no room should be given for any “extreme or radical” move, Mr\. Varatharaja Perumal hastened to add.
Emphasising that the 13th Amendment of Sri Lankan Constitution, dealing with devolution through elected bodies of provincial councils, should be “properly” implemented, he said if it was interpreted on the lines of similar features of the Indian Constitution in India, “this will take care of 70% to 75% of the political issues.”
Also, there was a need to “revisit the 13th Amendment” and the Indian government should constitute a team of legal experts to study the subject and convey [to Sri Lanka] how to ensure the “proper implementation” of the Amendment, against which the Sri Lankan government had never taken the stand per se.
“There are forces in several Sinhalese parties that favour devolution, besides NGOs and academicians,” he said, expressing the hope that with “consistent persuasion and perseverance,” progress could be achieved in the area of devolution.
On measures to be taken for refugees from Sri Lanka living in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Varatharaja Perumal responded that the issue concerning the refugees had to be viewed humanely. While the demand for Indian citizenship could be considered last, there were “pressing issues” that required to be attended to first. The Indian government could, either individually or jointly with the Sri Lankan government, provide permanent documents to those who wanted to take up proper employment in India or abroad. Similarly, property acquisition rights could be given to the refugees for the purpose of housing. Restrictions on camp refugees’ visits to Sri Lanka could also be eased, he added.