Upping the ante, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagam supremo Jayalalithaa said on Wednesday that if a government of her choice was formed at the Centre after Lok Sabha polls, she would take steps to send the Indian army to Sri Lanka to form a separate Tamil Eelam in that country.
Addressing an election meeting here, she said "naan sollum madhya arasu amayndal, India padaiyai anuppi tani eelam amaikka nadavadikkai eduppen." (If a central government of my choice is formed, I will steps to send our troops to Sri Lanka to form separate Eelam)."
Attacking Congress leaders for criticising her that she was not aware of international law, Jayalalithaa asked whether
they would flay Indira Gandhi in a similar vein for sending the Indian army to create Bangladesh and Rajiv Gandhi for
sending the IPKF to Sri Lanka in 1987.
Jayalalithaa's remarks came days after she made a dramatic shift in her party's position last week and said she would
strive for formation of a separate "Tamil Eelam" (homeland for Tamils) in Sri Lanka, saying it alone would solve the decades long ethnic strife in the island nation.
The Sri Lankan Tamils issue has come to occupy centrestage in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi had on Monday gone on a surprise indefinite fast demanding ceasefire in Sri Lanka but called it off six hours later after the island government announced cessation of combat operations.
