Vijay's Tribute On Mullivaikkal Remembrance Day Sparks Political Row

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK chief C Joseph Vijay today wrote a post, expressing solidarity with the global Tamil diaspora. Referring to the place Mullivaikkal in Sri Lanka, where Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) founder V Prabhakaran was shot dead by the Lankan army on this day in 2009, Vijay said 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!" 

Global Lankan Tamil population and sections of Tamils in India observe May 18 as the Mullivaikal remembrance day, or Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.

The post, however, drew massive flak, leading TVK to issue a clarification. Sources in Vijay's party stressed that his post was in remembrance of the massacre of thousands of Tamils in Sri Lanka and not just about Prabhakaran's death.

The LTTE is banned in India for its role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Prabhakaran was named as the main accused in the case.

Mullivaikal day marks the tragic culmination of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, remembering the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians who were killed, injured, or disappeared during the final, brutal offensive in the coastal village of Mullivaikkal. 

What began as a struggle demanding a separate homeland for Lankan Tamils in Sri Lanka, who alleged discrimination, turned into a full-fledged armed war in the final phase, as it stretched into an ethnic war lasting nearly 30 years.

The Sri Lankan Tamils' issue was not a major poll plank in the recent assembly elections. 

However, in September 2025, in his address in the Nagapattinam district, too, Vijay had attempted to strike a chord with the issue. "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 had said in a clear reference to Prabhakaran. "It is our duty to raise our voice for them". 

While parties in power in Tamil Nadu generally refrain from being seen in support of Prabhakaran, Vijay's minority government is being supported by VCK -- known for its pro-LTTE stance.

(With inputs from Mithraa Anand)