1989 LTTE leader Prabhakaran sent to Colombo a team leader for the Prabhakaran-Premadasa peace talks. Deputy Leader Mahaththaya. At the peace negotiation table, the Mahathaya was able to impress then-President Premadasa. When Premadasa met Mahathaya he made a wonderful proposal.
‘Like you, I am a man who started from a small class. I am proud of your journey. I really like to work with you…’ said Mahathaya.
‘You should be the Chief Minister of the North-East. I will help. Let’s work together…’ said Premadasa.
The close relationship that developed between Mahathaya and Premadasa was felt by the delegates of the LTTE. They immediately informed Prabhakaran about this. Prabhakaran wanted to stop the peace talks immediately. But Mahathaya did not agree. Prabhakaran ordered the delegation to come back to the north immediately. The Mahaththaya did not obey Prabhakaran’s order. It was then that Prabhakaran sent a suicide bomb to kill Tamil United Liberation Front leader Amirthalingam. When the suicide bomb exploded and Amirthalingam was killed, Mr. Premadasa told the delegation to leave Colombo immediately. Prabhakaran removed Mahathaya from the position of deputy leader as soon as the delegation arrived from Colombo. It was this incident that made Prabhakaran enmity with Premadasa.
Shortly after, similar to Prabhakaran’s left-hand Mahathaya, his right-hand man Kittu, was approaching north through Nepal in a ship carrying weapons. Prabhakaran had already killed Rajiv Gandhi and India was chasing after LTTE. India’s intelligence services tipped off the ship to Premadasa’s government. The Indian Navy and the Sri Lankan Navy have been authorized by Premadasa to carry out a joint operation to attack and scuttle the LTTE ship. Prabhakaran thought that it was Mahathaya who tipped off about the ship. Prabhakaran arrested Mahathaya on the suspicion that he had tipped off Premadasa and arrested Mahathaya and killed him naming as a traitor.
Prabhakaran sent a suicide bomber named Babu to Colombo to kill Premadasa, suspecting that Premadasa was behind the creation of the conflict between Prabhakaran and Mahataya, and the burning of the ship. Not only did he kill Premadasa, but before that he also killed Athulathmudali and put the blame of the killing on Premadasa. At that time, the opposition led by SLFP said that it was Premadasa who swallowed Prabhakaran’s rope and killed Lalith. But when Premadasa was killed a week after Lalith’s murder, everyone’s eyes were opened.
Prabhakaran thought of using Premadasa against India. Prabhakaran thought his game plan was working after Premadasa defied the Indo-Lanka Pact and ordered the Indian peacekeepers out of the country. He was at that time enamoured with India. To get Prabhakaran’s consent to sign the Indo-Lanka Treaty, then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi brought Prabhakaran to India in a special plane. Rajiv met him and asked him to agree to the agreement. Prabhakaran refused to agree to the agreement. Rajiv kept Prabhakaran under house arrest in a Delhi hotel until the agreement was signed.
India has betrayed us. I won’t forget this easily…
Prabhakaran said to a colleague. It was then that Prabhakaran decided to kill Rajiv. He then plotted to kill Rajiv. Before Rajiv came to a general election rally in Tamil Nadu, Prabhakaran. A delegation was sent to meet Rajiv.
‘As soon as I become the Prime Minister, I will solve your problem…’
Rajiv told them. Rajiv thought to appease the LTTE and get Tamil Nadu’s votes. But Prabhakaran knew what Rajiv was coming. When Rajiv signed the Indo-Lanka Treaty, he thought that he would be finished if Rajiv became the Prime Minister.
Sonia Gandhi took revenge of her husband’s killing of Prabhakaran when the Mahinda Rajapaksa government declared war against Prabhakaran. Sonia Gandhi’s Congress government supported Mahinda’s government while Tamil Nadu politicians including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi were agitating to stop the war and go to a ceasefire. Once when Karunanidhi threatened to topple the Congress government if India did not intervene to stop the war, the Congress government shut Karunanidhi’s mouth by showing the corruption file of Karunanidhi’s family.
At the time, Sajith Premadasa, who was a rising leader of U.N.P., also supported Mahinda’s government’s war. When the party mocked Mahinda’s government’s military operations, Sajith stood up for the army.
In 2018, Rajiv Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi said he was not happy, he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi were not happy when Prabhakaran was killed. He said that he sees himself through Prabhakaran’s children’s perspective. He told this story after going to Tamil Nadu.
Premadasa’s son Sajith also contested in the 2019 presidential election and sought the votes of the Tamil people. While the South voted for Gotabhaya, the North voted for Sajith, the son of the father who was killed by Prabhakaran.
Now Rahul Gandhi is preparing to form a government for the 2024 general elections in India. Sajith Premadasa is preparing to seek a mandate to become president in the 2024 presidential election. These two are the sons of two fathers who were killed by Prabhakaran. They had to enter politics because of Prabhakaran. Also, they are going to take power by winning Tamil Nadu and northern Sri Lanka where Prabhakaran ruled.
