"It was like a wedding without the bride” some Tamil Nadu dailies poked fun and pointed out that the main party for whose sake it was held was a notable absentee.
The Tamil National Alliance was unanimous in its decision not to attend the controversial Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization Conference called by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi and held in Chennai last Sunday. "It was like a wedding without the bride” some Tamil Nadu dailies poked fun and pointed out that the main party for whose sake it was held was a notable absentee. It left Karunanidhi with egg on the face, some dailies said.
When asked why the TNA failed to attend the TESO conference despite Karunanidhi’s pleas, Alliance spokesman and Jaffna District parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said that he did not wish to comment.
However, a TNA insider who did not wish to be quoted said ultimately saner counsel prevailed and it was decided not to attend considering the ramification it would get back in the country. He cited the situation faced by NSSP leader Dr.Wickramabahu Karunaratne when he attended the TESO conference. He was pelted with rotten eggs by a section of farmers at a meeting in Dambulla on Friday where he was highlighting their plight due to the prevailing drought. As a precautionary measure he was ultimately led out of the stage.
TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran told The Nation that the alliance had decided not to attend since there was uncertainty whether the TESO conference would go ahead as planned because of the Police ban on the conference held in Chennai. This ban was imposed after the Madras High Court giving the Police the option to permit the meeting or ban it. Another reason was none of the TNA parliamentarians was available to attend the conference due to the forthcoming Eastern provincial council elections which keeps them very busy these days.
(Nation)