There was an overriding sense of jubilation in Tamil Nadu, but it did not lead to organised bursting of firecrackers and dancing in the streets over the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Instead,the firecrackers came in the statements issued by leaders of different parties. The ruling AIADMK, however, had not officially reacted to the development in the island nation at the time of this copy going to print.
DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, who was re-elected as party chief for 14th time on Friday, said it was a happy moment for Tamils. “Winners and losers should mend ways, realising who is responsible for what happened in the past.”
He added, “The demand for war crimes probe stays”. Karunanidhi asked the new president to avoid the mistakes his predecessor made.
His party colleague TKS Elangovan said, “Tamils in general are very happy. But we have to wait and watch as to how the situation develops.”
BJP state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan told mediapersons in Coimbatore, “Anybody who is against the people’s welfare will have to go and the loss of Rajapaksa is a testimony to this. Tamils are extremely happy.”
{{/usCountry}}BJP state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan told mediapersons in Coimbatore, “Anybody who is against the people’s welfare will have to go and the loss of Rajapaksa is a testimony to this. Tamils are extremely happy.”
{{/usCountry}}The death of thousands of Lankan Tamils during the Rajapaksa government’s final push against LTTE in 2009 made him a much-reviled man in the state.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who recently broke away from the NDA formation, described Friday as “the happiest day in my life.”
“Every Tamil family is celebrating the fall of the mass murderer he said in conversation with press persons in the temple town of Tanjavoor.”