Following the capture of Kilinochchi by Sri Lankan troops, India’s Congress Party has demanded that Sri Lanka extradite LTTE chief Prabhakaran, an accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, if he is nabbed in the army offensive, in what signals a strong stand ruling out any intervention under pressure from DMK.

The Times of India reports today (Jan 04) that Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily told reporters that the LTTE was a banned outfit and Prabhakaran was wanted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “He is an assassin and we would be very happy if he was extradited to India. We want him to be prosecuted and convicted here for the grave crime he committed,” Moily said.

Before Sri Lanka’s army smashed through LTTE bastion of Kilinochchi, Congress often had to accommodate DMK’s sensitivities. But the demand for Prabhakaran’s extradition as well as the stand that the fight against terror was Lanka’s internal issue signals that in the coming days any pressure by DMK to lean on Lanka may not mean much.

Moily, took care to separate the issue of the extradition of Prabhakaran and how Sri Lanka treats the Tigers with the concern for the protection of the rights of Tamil minority in the island nation. He said that Congress was not mixing terrorism and the ethnic issue.

The Times of India reported that the Congress formulation takes on significance also because it came on a day when volatile Tamil leader and an Eelam votary Vaiko targeted the central government for ignoring the plight of Tamils in Lanka. It is a signal to DMK that Centre was not in favour of reprieve for the LTTE.

Asked on “Braking News” on “Times Now” TV that Colombo claims its troops are closing in on Prabhakaran who is hiding in the jungle areas and what his views on this was as Prabhakaran is a prime accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, The Congress spokesman said: “We will be happy if Prabhakaran is caught by the Sri Lankan Army and handed over to India so that he could be prosecuted for the heinous crime committed.”

Asked for his views on Vaiko’s statement that the Sri Lanka Army’s victory at Kilinochchi is temporary and that the LTTE would soon retake Kilinochchi, the Congress spokesman said that was Vaiko’s person view and what he says does not represent the view of the Government of India.