C. Joseph Vijay pays tribute to Velupillai Prabhakaran, reiterates solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils

C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday expressed solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils on Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, invoking the memory of the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war in which Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed by the Sri Lankan military in May 2009.

In a post on X, Vijay said, “We will carry the memories of Mullivaikkal in our hearts! We will always stand in solidarity for the rights of our Tamil kin living across the sea!”

May 18 is observed by Sri Lankan Tamils worldwide and by sections of Tamils in India as Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, commemorating civilians killed, injured or missing during the final stages of the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka.

The conflict began with demands for a separate Tamil homeland over alleged discrimination against Sri Lankan Tamils and later evolved into a prolonged ethnic war. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam remains banned in India for its role in the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Prabhakaran’s legacy has continued to resonate in Tamil politics, though mainstream Dravidian parties such as the DMK and AIADMK have generally approached the issue cautiously after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.

Vijay’s party, however, has repeatedly invoked a “Tamil First” identity. His minority government is backed externally by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, which has historically taken a pro-LTTE stance.

Ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections, Vijay had sparked controversy by referring to Prabhakaran as a “mother” figure for Sri Lankan Tamils, saying he had shown them “motherly love.”