Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Thalapathy Vijay has said LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran gave Eelam Tamils a “mother’s love”, as he voiced solidarity with Tamils in the North-East and across the diaspora.
Speaking at a public meeting in Tamil Nadu, Vijay told supporters,
“At the same time, the Eelam Tamils, whom we consider our umbilical-cord kin, whether they are in Sri Lanka or anywhere else in the world, are suffering after they lost a leader who gave them a mother’s love. Don’t you think it is our duty to raise our voices for them and stand by their side? The lives and dreams of Eelam Tamils are just as important as the lives of our fishermen. To only look at the suffering of our fishermen, write a long statement, and then fall silent, that is the behaviour of this fake DMK government, not us.”
Several of the thousands of people in the crowd were holding placards and posters with Prabhakaran’s image.
Vijay’s remarks come after he reiterated his support for a referendum on Tamil Eelam’s independence last year.
The actor-turned-politician has in recent months sharply criticised both the Sri Lankan state and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu for their silence on the plight of Tamils across the Palk Strait.
Previously Vijay has vocally advocated for the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle. His wife Sangeetha Sornalingam is an Eelam Tamil. In 2008, in the midst of the Mullivaikkal Tamil genocide, Vijay took part in a one-day hunger strike where he said "let freedom dawn for Eelam Tamils. This plea extends beyond just my fans; it is an earnest appeal to anyone who carries the essence of Tamil identity within them.” He went on, “We are tiger cubs!”.
Read more here: 'We are tiger cubs!' - Vijay's support for the Tamil Eelam cause
