The Tamil Nadu government is ready to write to the Centre to provide treatment to Ms. Parvathi, the ailing mother of LTTE leader V. Prabakaran, in Tamil Nadu, if she expresses her willingness to return, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi told the State Assembly on Monday.
“We are ready to consider the request and write to the Centre. I will inform the House what the Centre says,” he said while replying to a special calling attention motion moved by the Opposition, barring the AIADMK members, who were absent when the issue was discussed.
Mr. Karunanidhi said he was not aware of Ms. Parvathi’s arrival to Chennai for treatment. The State government had not received any letter about her visit to Chennai, though there was a letter correspondence between her and the Centre.
The Chief Minister said he came to know about it only after reading The Hindu in the next day.
The Hindu had reported that she landed at the Chennai airport by a Malaysian Airlines flight around 10.30 pm on Friday. However, immigration officials, following instructions from the Centre, deported her to Malaysia by the same flight, immigration sources said.
According to the Chief Minister, Ms. Parvathi was denied permission, because the erstwhile AIADMK government, in May, 5, 2003, had written to the Centre saying that the “re-entry of the family members of Prabakaran may not be desirable” because of their association with the LTTE.
Prabakaran’s parents came to India in 1983 and left the country in 2003 after a ceasefire was announced in Sri Lanka.
Recalling the efforts taken by the Tamil Eelam Solidarity Organisation (TESO) to prevent the deportation of Chandrahasan, the son of Selvanayagam and LTTE’s ideologue Anton Balasingam and others in 1985, Mr. Karunanidhi said the Centre gave up its plans to deport them after TESO embarked on a series of protests including a rail roko at a later stage.
In 1985, he along with MDMK general secretary Vaiko, Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P. Nedumaran and Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan went to the airport, but now they (Mr. Vaiko and Mr. Nedumaran) went to the airport secretly to gain political advantage.
Earlier speaking on the motion, Congress leader D. Sudarsanam argued there was nothing wrong in the deportation since Ms. Parvathi was brought to Chennai with ulterior political motives.
“Mr. Vaiko and Mr. Nedumaran had known about her arrival while the Chief Minister of the State had no idea about. It was part of a cheap political campaign,” he said alleging that Mr. Vaiko and Mr. Nedumaran had conspired to organise Tamils Awakening Conference to coincide with the World Classical Tamil Conference.
“They want to create a law and order problem in the State,” he said. The Congress has no difference of opinion on providing treatment to her on humanitarian grounds.
PMK leader G.K. Mani described the deportation as an inhuman act, saying that when Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa himself had no objection to Ms. Parvathi visiting Chennai, why should the Indian officials prevent her.
CPI leader V. Sivapunniyam said when the Indian officials in Malaysia had granted permission, how could the officials in Chennai deny her treatment.
Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi member Ravikumar urged the Chief Minister to make arrangements for her return to Tamil Nadu, pointing out that during their stay in India, Prabakaran’s parents never created any trouble.
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