Look at the two protagonists' basic proposition. The Sri Lankan government says that whatever be the solution Sri Lanka can't be divided. The LTTE's aim is to carve out a Tamil homeland. India has always supported the Sri Lankan regime's framework for a solution.

India trained the Sri Lankan army even when it was training Tamil militants. You may call it hypocrisy but India as a state has always maintained a state to state relationship with Sri Lanka. What is new with the United Progressive Alliance regime is that they are giving certain kinds of non-lethal equipment (shoes, radars etc) that they were not giving earlier. From the LTTE's perspective, the UPA government has gone a little out of way to back the Sri Lankan regime. The Congress party is not vocal on issue of Sri Lanka so we don't know how strong their support for the Sri Lankan military operation against LTTE is.

In fact, Sri Lankans who have met Sonia Gandhi on many occasions say that she never mentions Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and things like that. But, when this subject comes up her face gets harder. I don't think India is greatly enamoured by the LTTE. The India government is supporting Rajpakase simply because they think he may be able to bring about a solution. This is I think calculation of some people in the establishment in New Delhi.

It is easy to blame National Security Advisor M K Narayanan but he may not be formulating policy but looking into the nitty-gritty of it. But, I am sure that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is deeply interested in Sri Lanka. I know about the meetings he has attended where Sri Lankan issues have been discussed. But he is not a leader who will speak about it.

Image: Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko gestures as he takes part in a demonstration against the killing of Tamils by the Sri Lankan army.
Photograph: Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images

Also read: If caught, LTTE chief may be handed over to India

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