UNP, India, Tamils and political realities

The following political truisms have governed Sri Lankan elections since 1956. Firstly, the majority of the Sinhala Buddhists consider the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as the guardian of their interests. They have backed it steadfastly.
Secondly, the minorities, the Tamils and the Muslims, consider the United National Party (UNP) as being responsive to their rights and aspirations.  Whenever the UNP aspired for the role of the protector of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism, it lost the support of the minorities and the election.
The UNP was formed by D.S. Senanayake, then the Leader of the State Council, by bringing together the representatives of all sections of the people- Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays and Burghers, to the inaugural meeting held at Palm Court, Flower Road, Colombo on September 6, 1946. He declared the objective of the new party was national and not communal.
When the name of the new organisation was considered, he suggested from the chair: “We are here as a united group. We are all nationalists. So let it be the United National Party.” D.S. was elected president, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, J.L. Kotelawala, George E. de Silva and T.B. Jayah vice presidents, A. Mahadeva general secretary and J.R. Jayewardene and A.R.A. Razik, joint treasurers.
The meeting then adopted the constitution of the party which declared in its aims and objectives:
“We stand for equal rights and opportunities for every citizen. We stand for unity of all communities and for tolerance and goodwill between them”.
The UNP adopted Sinhala and Tamil as the official languages and stood by it till September 30, November 1955. On that day, Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala told a meeting at Kokuvil Hindu College, that his party had adopted a resolution in 1954 which said, “Tamil and Sinhala languages should have identical status throughout the island” and his government intended to stand by it. And he added, “This is no mere lip service to an ideal, but an assurance that we intend to adhere to the resolution in the letter and in the spirit”.
He sommersaulted when the Sinhala nationalists in the UNP pressed him to do so and he proposed the ‘Sinhala Only’ Resolution at the Kelaniya Convention. Tamils including A. Mahadeva resigned from the party and it suffered a disastrous defeat in the 1956 election. The Sinhala Buddhist people demonstrated that they were not ready to accept pretenders and the Tamils proved that they will not trust an alternative Sinhala Buddhist organisation.
Analysis
An analysis of election results since then, show that the UNP won when the minorities were with it, and lost when it tried to be a Sinhala party. On May 5, the Daily Mirror commented that had the UNP taken a pro-war stand earlier it could have won more Sinhala votes in the provincial council elections. Virakesari, on the same day, accused the UNP of double dealing as its response to Puttalam District MP Palitha Bandara’s press conference statement criticising the government for stopping the use of heavy weapons and air strikes. It followed that on Sunday with a feature headlined ‘UNP shows its communal face’. Tamil media also raised the question: Should Tamils trust the UNP anymore?
The UNP Treasurer R.M. Swaminathan raised the matter in the Working Committee and the party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered that in the future, statements on war and ethnic issues should be made in consultation with him. That assurance had failed to satisfy the Tamils, because they feel that his powers are being clipped, and a pro- Sinhala Buddhist faction is taking control of the party.
Mano Ganeshan, the leader of the Democratic People’s Party which contested the recent provincial council elections with the UNP, has written to Wickremesinghe saying that they would have to rethink their alliance with the UNP if its communalistic trend continues. Other Tamils in the UNP are under pressure from their supporters to dump the party.
Tamil Nadu polls
Tamil Nadu polls today, and the results of the 5-stage Indian parliamentary elections, will be out on Saturday. Forecasts indicate that the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party may not be able to form the government on their own. They may have to seek the support of Communist Parties or regional groups.
In Tamil Nadu where the Sri Lankan war had entered the centre stage, opinion polls indicate that the Jayalalithaa-led coalition may win more seats. Jayalalithaa’s trump card- “I will create Tamil Eelam”- has clicked.  Her announcement that she would ask the central government to send the Indian army to Sri Lanka to help the creation of Eelam had created a stir among the voters.
Her Eelam pronouncement had pushed Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi into the defensive, and he announced on Friday that he would take the responsibility for the creation of Eelam.
“As a next step, Sri Lankan Tamils should get Eelam. I assume the responsibility of taking all steps to make Eelam a reality,” he said.
Like his fast of last week, it did not create much impact. Jayalalithaa responded, “He was the Chief Minister and wielded great influence in Delhi all these years.  He is about to lose power, and how can he take the responsibility of creating Eelam?” Rahul Gandhi complicated matters for Karunanidhi. He told a television interview in Delhi that Jayalalithaa followed policies similar to theirs, and hinted at negotiating for her support for the formation of the government. Karunanidhi was hurt and refused to attend the joint Congress- DMK public meeting in Chennai fixed for last Wednesday. The meeting was suddenly cancelled but was re-scheduled for Sunday after Sonia Gandhi apologised for Rahul’s blunder.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi addressed separate meetings in Tamil Nadu on Saturday and Sunday but their speeches were described by commentators as “damp squib”.
Manmohan Singh said the solution to the Sri Lankan Tamil problem lies within a united country, and the Indian Army could not be sent to invade a sovereign country. Sonia Gandhi said the solution will be in accordance with the Rajiv Gandhi- J.R. Jayewardene Pact. She avoided mentioning anything about the creation of Tamil Eelam and Karunanidhi too kept silent on that issue.
Jayalalithaa’s shot at Karunanidhi at the concluding campaign meeting was: “What can you expect from him. He promised to take responsibility for the creation of Eelam but did not open his mouth in Sonia’s presence?”