Actor Vijay Praises Rajiv Gandhi's Killer: 'Showed Motherly Love To Sri Lankan Tamils'

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 18:14 IST

Vijay said late LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was the mastermind behind former PM Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, was "like a mother" to Sri Lankan Tamils.

Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Vijay in Nagapattinam. (PTI)

Actor-turned-politician Vijay, the leader of Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), made a shocking remark by praising the late chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Velupillai Prabhakaran, the mastermind behind former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.

Vijay was addressing a crowd in Nagapattinam as part of his statewide political campaign for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, and reached out to the Sri Lankan Tamil community, reported NDTV. Vijay suggested that Prabhakaran was “like a mother" to Sri Lankan Tamils.

“At the same time, 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. It is our duty to raise our voice for them," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The issue of Sri Lankan Tamils remains a sensitive and politically charged issue in Tamil Nadu, especially in coastal districts like Nagapattinam, where frequent fishing disputes occur. More than 50,000 Sri Lankan Tamils live in refugee camps across Tamil Nadu, most of whom fled after the Sri Lankan Civil War broke out in 1983.

Who Was Prabhakaran?

Velupillai Prabhakaran was the leader of the Tamil New Tigers (TNT), which was later renamed as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE had run a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009.

Prabhakaran was reportedly angered by previous Sri Lankan administrations’ discrimination towards Tamils, and waged a civil war against the Sri Lankan military. On July 23, 1983, the LTTE ambushed an army patrol in Thirunelveli, Sri Lanka, killing 13 Sri Lankan soldiers, triggering violent riots that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Tamils and the displacement of over 150,000 people.

The LTTE was allegedly engaged in the killing of Rajiv Gandhi, India’s former prime minister, in 1991. Prabhakaran was motivated to kill Gandhi after his decision to deploy the Indian peacekeeping force troops to Sri Lanka amid the civil war. Rajiv Gandhi was blown up by a Sri Lankan Tamil woman suicide bomber at an election rally in Tamil Nadu in 1991.

India officially banned the LTTE in 1992 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and declared Prabhakaran and his intelligence chief, Pottu Amman, proclaimed offenders. Prabhakaran was killed in 2009 when the Sri Lankan military advanced rapidly into the last LTTE-held territory, bringing the civil war to an end.

Vijay Rages Against DMK Govt

This is not the first time that Vijay has expressed support for Sri Lankan Tamils. He had earlier joined a hunger strike in Chennai to protest the killing of the community members in Sri Lanka in 2008, according to NDTV.

He also asserted that one of the top priorities for his party is to resolve the issues faced by fishermen caught by Sri Lankan authorities. “We are not like the DMK government that writes a long letter about the fishermen’s issue and then remains silent. Finding a solution to the fishermen’s problem is one of our key agendas," he told the crowd in Nagapattinam.

He also lashed out at the DMK administration for allegedly imposing numerous conditions on his political meetings and asked if the government would dare to impose such conditions during the visits of the Prime Minister or Home Minister.

“Why do you impose conditions on me who wants to meet the people. What’s your intention? Let me tell you again, the contest in 2026 is only between the TVK and the DMK," he said. Vijay also criticised Chief Minister MK Stalin for remaining silent on the issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen after writing letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(with inputs from PTI)

News politics Actor Vijay Praises Rajiv Gandhi's Killer: 'Showed Motherly Love To Sri Lankan Tamils'

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