Unknown to most Indians, a worthy leader has achieved the record for the fastest indefinite hunger strike in history for an even worthier cause.
The leader in question, who incidentally is also the Dude of this week, is Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who went on a hunger strike for 6 ….. hours.
In a sudden move, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi drove to the Anna Samadhi at 5.50 am on Monday and went on an indefinite fast, which he later called off past noon.
“Due to heavy pressure by the UPA government, the Sri Lankan security council met today and has decided to stop all offensive operations. Now the Lankan army will be used only for humanitarian purposes. The fast ends now, come and celebrate with me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President claims that only hostages are being freed and the operation against the LTTE would continue.
With this development, can we please urge Mr. Karunanidhi to resume the fast ?
The whole reaction of the political arena in Tamil Nadu to the Sri Lankan crisis has been a big joke, and by that definition, the aforementioned leader emerges as the biggest joker. I am more interested in finding how many people actually buy into the phony arguments and sentiments of the DMK and AIADMK. Not to forget that open condoning of the LTTE and Prabhakaran should ideally invite legal action.
The Sri Lankan crisis is, at this moment, a humanitarian crisis. The LTTE, while fighting for a cause (which might be worthy or not is not the point), had become a nuisance for the entire South Asia and every country has a right to get rid of its troublemakers; the fact that we do not do it is no ground for expecting the same from others.
If the Dalai Lama is still treated as a guest of India, it is for a reason. I quite hope any government stops pandering to the needs of political jokers; unfortunately, it is election time so I cannot blame the government either.
Which brings me to the earlier question.
How many people in Tamil Nadu actually care about the Lankan crisis over their already troubled lives with an economic depression that is looming overhead ? The answer can be found in this recent article and isn’t too unexpected.
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April 29, 2009 at 8:56 am
Sindhuja
..which brings us back to the question, something that I’ve always wondered. What if nobody bothered about the dude(tte) who goes on hunger strikes? (Considering that somebody does, now)
April 29, 2009 at 9:30 am
Deepak Iyer
@Sindhuja : Usually only people with some following go for such things, so the fear of their supporters going on a rampage ensures the fast is broken.
Then there are the less wiser people who have no following whatsoever but embark upon such endeavors; they are also cared for on humanitarian grounds.
So basically no on is let to die, unless of course they themselves really want to.
April 29, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Anjana
isn’t MK the shiznit? gosh, what would we do without him.
April 29, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Dude of the week (contd.) « News You Can’t Use !
[...] of the week (contd.) This is a continuation of the Dude of the Week post from yesterday where the Dude of this week went on a indefinite hunger strike for 6 hours. A [...]
April 30, 2009 at 4:37 am
aditya
dude u should have a dudette of the week section also !!!!
April 30, 2009 at 5:32 am
Deepak Iyer
@Aditya : To quote Aloknath from umpteen movies :
Aap ne to bilkul mere muh ki baat cheen li.
To baat pakki ?
Leaving that last line of course.
April 30, 2009 at 8:48 am
Dudette of the Week. « News You Can’t Use !
[...] of the Week. Amidst fears that I was a sexist bloke, there was a recent comment urging me to also have a Dudette of the Week title. This has prompted me to come out with a [...]
May 6, 2009 at 2:25 am
Mu Ka « Ruminations of a Sourashtrian
[...] years. But, critics are least bothered of his health. As usual, he has been criticized for whatever he does. However, he, at the age of 85, shrugs off all the criticism and continues to play the political [...]
May 21, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Virtuous allies. « News You Can’t Use !
[...] of the DMK not getting its demands, I really hope for his health that M. Karunanidhi does not go on another “indefinite hunger strike onto death” between his two [...]