Vijay Remembers LTTE Chief Prabhakaran On Mullivaikkal Day, Vows Solidarity With Lankan Tamils
Vijay Remembers LTTE Chief Prabhakaran On Mullivaikkal Day, Vows Solidarity With Lankan Tamils Published By, Last Updated: May 19, 2026, 09:11 IST The LTTE remains
Vijay Remembers LTTE Chief Prabhakaran On Mullivaikkal Day, Vows Solidarity With Lankan Tamils Published By, Last Updated: May 19, 2026, 09:11 IST The LTTE remains a banned organisation in India for its role in the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in which Prabhakaran was named the prime accused. Rapid Read TVK Chief and CM Vijay Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK chief Vijay expressed solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils while remembering Mullivaikkal, the site in Sri Lanka where founder of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and one of the world’s most ruthless guerrilla leaders, was killed by the Sri Lankan army on May 18, 2009. Marking Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day, Vijay posted on X, “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 across the world, as well as by sections of Tamils in India, in memory of those killed during the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009.
Also referred to as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, the occasion commemorates thousands of Tamil civilians who were killed, injured or went missing in Mullivaikkal during the last stage of the 26-year conflict. The LTTE remains a banned organisation in India for its role in the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in which Prabhakaran was named the prime accused. The civil war in Sri Lanka began with demands for a separate homeland for Sri Lankan Tamils over allegations of discrimination and later turned into a prolonged ethnic conflict spanning nearly three decades. Prabhakaran and the Sri Lankan Tamil issue have often resonated in Tamil Nadu politics, though major Dravidian parties such as the DMK and AIADMK approached the matter cautiously following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. In recent years, parties such as Vijay’s TVK have invoked Prabhakaran as part of a broader “Tamil First" political identity.
Vijay’s minority government currently enjoys outside support from DMK ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), which is known for its pro-LTTE stance. Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, Vijay had triggered controversy after comparing Prabhakaran to a “mother" figure for Sri Lankan Tamils who showered them with “motherly love." Although the Sri Lankan Tamil issue did not emerge as a key electoral theme in the recent Assembly polls, Vijay continued to publicly remember Prabhakaran. Addressing a gathering in Nagapattinam district in September 2025, he had said, “Our umbilical-cord kin, the Eelam Tamils, whether they are in Sri Lanka or anywhere else in the world, are suffering after losing a leader who showed them motherly affection." He added, “It is our duty to raise our voice for them." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: May 19, 2026, 09:11 IST News india Vijay Remembers LTTE Chief Prabhakaran On Mullivaikkal Day, Vows Solidarity With Lankan Tamils Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.
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