\n

Indian Legislative Assembly elections are looming and are scheduled for nine legislative assemblies. The terms of Karnataka, Delhi, Tripura, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh are due to expire during this year while that of Chhattisgarh in early 2014, while Tamil Nadu is heating up perhaps with undefined insinuations for its separatist political aspirations with divided power mongering. Tamil Nadu once a haven for LTTE separatist ideology, training, hideout and halfway houses for those espoused it. Delhi was bitten hard once as it let loose its tail. The puli will not change its pulli even if it changes the forest (Kotiya Kelemaarukalata Ppullimaarakaranneneha).<\/span><\/p>\n

Modern India\u2019s political wounds are many and may not be healed for generations to come. However, it has its own resilience – reserve as well to keep going. Its containment strategy had worked so far due to its rock hard bureaucracy and the nebulous intelligence agencies. They work day and night for one thing and one thing alone: to never to allow further disintegration of India which works out for them like a religion, adhered to its core. The neighbors should not have any problem with it? The problem they might have is the fact why Delhi wishes otherwise among its neighbors. Double standards bother the big and small in the region. If India for obvious reasons detests separatism within its own soil, then Delhi should know that the neighbors are bound to say: Hey Delhiji, we will have our way without you having to decide our way in your terms? Upcoming election is an opportunity for the people in these nine assemblies to tell Delhi power base about their grassroots democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

West, Delhi and Colombo<\/strong><\/span>
\nIndia must regain its role as a regional power and not become the poodle of the US or become a NATO operative in the Global South. Colombo is pushed to its limits with Big Brother behavior devoid of neighborliness. Such mannerism is also detested by the other political actors as political bullying and social provocation. The other South Asian, far Eastern and the North Eastern Asian nations would not like to see a US\/NATO satellite in the Indian political discourse. It is in India\u2019s paramount political interest to not allow this island nation to be the backyard of political rivalries of both the East and the West. People are basically saying to the Delhi administration, US and NATO must not make Sri Lanka the Palestine of South Asia.<\/span>
\n\u00a0Everyone is aware of the marine significance of this island\u2019s location in the Indian Ocean and its strategic importance for the marine industry that is growing day by day. The bigger powers must remember that even though Sri Lanka is a small nation, yet its political maturity as a people is astoundingly different to the any other. Delhi or the West must not underestimate Sri Lanka, small in stature but formidable in spirit and action when needed. She is ambivalent about foreign influence and undue interferences with no qualms and compromise.<\/span><\/p>\n

India\u2019s Tamil Nadu<\/strong><\/span>
\nSecondly, India should not self-destroy its immense catchment area of bilateral trade worth several billions of rupees. Jayalalithaa and other responsible leaders of Tamil Nadu cannot disrupt the local economy by calling for boycotts. That is silly and childish. She must remember that economics is not like the South Indian action and romance movies which she was used to, but the real lives of the people are involved. Not celluloid but economics. Even though these politicians might be thinking that they are the king makers in Delhi yet they must realize that they cannot take the ordinary masses of Tamil Nadu for their political gains. It is time that these two veterans must realize that their political survival depends on what they do and not do to their people on their soil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Karunanidi\u2019s political stunt of MPs resignation did not do what he expected. If they continue to boycott and behave with economic foolhardiness and political immaturity, then the entrepreneurial Gujaratis will jump with their lucrative business skills and grab the market. So the losers will be the poor of Tamil Nadu for the lack of foresight of their petty minded leaders with ethnic and tribal outlook and behavior. It\u2019s an illusion for both of them to think that the ordinary Tamils of Sri Lanka are much interested in their leadership in their daily affairs in their own land. It\u2019s as foolish as the petty boycotts of Tamil Nadu politicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Delhi and secessionism<\/strong><\/span>
\nIt is too painful for India even to reiterate the assassinations of Mahatma and the grandson of Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, both owing to secessionist politics. But if Delhi is interested in India\u2019s cohesion as a nation of nations then it must deal with the waves of separatism raising its ugly head to disintegrate India in this early part of the 21st century. Delhi must produce pan-Indian leaders. Such men and women seem unfortunately extinct now. Secondly, it is Delhi\u2019s duty now as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to play an amicable role and not create dissension with her neighbors. It must learn from the great pan-Asian leaders that it produced who were held in high esteem in the region and internationally.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a common view among the people of Sri Lanka to disassociate Tamil Nadu politics from that of the rest of the country. The reason why Delhi should amend its policy is the fact that people-to-people relationships among the two countries remain cordial both culturally and historically. There is so much in common as a people in both countries and should further foster relations which would also be a key to shun secessionist politics of disintegration, disunity and disfunctionality.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Last modified on Friday, 10 May 2013 09:47<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0 Dr Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi Sunday, 05 May 2013 00:00 http:\/\/www.nation.lk\/edition\/news-features\/item\/17646-india%E2%80%99s-reality-dilemma-and-neighbors.html \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rajiv Gandhi |\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mahatma Gandhi Indian Legislative Assembly elections are looming and are scheduled for nine legislative assemblies. The terms of Karnataka, Delhi, Tripura, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[24,29],"class_list":["post-125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","hentry","category-foreign-policy","tag-mahatma-gandi","tag-rajeev-gandi","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=125"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":601,"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125\/revisions\/601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hettiviththi.lk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}