LTTE leader’s banners at Vellore refugee camp irks Congress

VELLORE: Congress workers were incensed over the news that the newly built rehabilitation camp for Sri Lankan refugees had put up huge poster of slain LTTE leader V Prabakaran at the entrance, on Tuesday.

Vellore district Congress president G Suresh Kumar, said, “I have asked the local area leader to give a complaint to the Virinjipuram police station as the move goes against all that the Congress stands for.”

Sources revealed that two pictures of Prabakaran were put on either side of the entrance arch to the rehabilitation camp which was inaugurated by Chief Minister MK Stalin some time ago. Similar pictures were also seen in front of some houses inside the camp.

Though Congress leaders wanted to convey the developments to party state president KS Alagiri, they finally desisted from doing so due to the common feeling that demanding action from DMK could jeopardise seat-sharing talks, a party source said.

“When LTTE is banned in India how can occupants of the rehabilitation camp put up such posters when it was the DMK which provided them upgraded facilities and better houses in the camp,” a party functionary refusing to be named said.

Though the party initially planned to agitate on the issue, the move was dropped.

AIADMK’s Vellore urban district secretary SRK Appu said, “We plan to wait to see how the Congress responds. Our action will be based on their response.”

With suspected AI-induced pictures of Prabakaran’s daughter addressing the Heroes Day meeting, this local issue has only added fuel to the fire.