Vaiko takes potshots at defence secy for praising Sri Lanka

MADURAI: MDMK leader Vaiko has flayed the central government over its suggestion to work closely with the Sri Lankan military, saying the latter is known for ‘‘killing innocent Sri Lankan Tamils’’, at a function in the city on Sunday.
Vaiko showed his strong displeasure over a news report which quoted India’s defense secretary R K Mathur’s statement to Sri Lankan President, ‘‘There are a lot of things we would like to learn from Sri Lanka.’’ Mathur is in Colombo for the second annual defense dialogue.
He said the defense secretary has shown keen interest in exchange of military lectures but has forgotten the ‘‘heinous acts and the war crimes’’ they committed while dealing with the Sri Lankan Tamils.
“The Lankan Army killed and tortured several Lankan Tamils. During the last phase of the ethnic war, several Tamils were killed mercilessly. Is this the Indian military needs to learn from them?” he questioned.
Vaiko was in the city to distribute prizes to college students who emerged as winners in the state-level elocution competition conducted by the MDMK’s students wing. The elocution was based on the topic ‘Vellum Sol’, a book written by Vaiko. This is the second such competition which was started last year. In the function, a book Manavar Parvaiyil Vaiko – 2014 was released.
N Sathamaipriya of Trichy emerged as the winner in the state-level elocution competition and received a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh.
Vaiko refrained from making any other political remarks in his address saying he does not want gain any political mileage from the function meant for students.