Chennai: Pro-LTTE Christian missionary Jegath Gaspar Raj openly called for another partition of India on the basis of religion. In a speech that went viral on social media, Jagath Gaspar urged the Muslims and members of SC/ST communities to unite and demand a separate country.
Jegath Gaspar Raj, a Chennai-based Catholic priest, was speaking at an event organised in Chennai, under the banner of the Social Activists Forum (Samooga Seyarpattalargal Kootiyakkam), on June 19.
According to the sources, the agenda of the meeting was to condemn UP Government’s action to raze away encroachments using bulldozers. Among the notable speakers were Jagath Gaspar, Periyarits, leaders of Viduthalai Siruthaikal Katchi (DMK ally) and some Muslim outfits, and Sasikanth Senthil (ex-IAS, presently Social Media Coordinator of Tamil Nadu Congress). During the Jagath Gaspar Raj made a shocking speech. He instigated the members of SC/ST and Muslims who form 42% of population to demand for another partition of the country. His virulent speech was filled with Anti-BJP, Anti-RSS rhetoric.
“You (SC/STs and Muslims) are about 42 per cent. I am telling openly, I m neither a SC nor a Muslim. If both these communities come together and tell the government, ‘We are 40 per cent. For SC/ST, as a token you have given 11-12 ministers, but not a single cabinet minister. Just a token posting they have given,” Jegath Gaspar Raj said.
“If you are 40 per cent, you ask for a 40 per cent of land as partition, there is nothing wrong. We will live peacefully with 40 per cent. Even if Muslims demand 20 per cent land, you will land to size of Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Telangana and Karnataka. We have no place in Parliament. So give us 20 per cent land, if not any place, give us Sahara desert. You can tell them that,” he added.
In 2013, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had written to J Jayalalithaa , the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, to take action on Home Ministry’s communication on lTTE operative Father Gaspar Raj, against whom the FBI had issued warrant.
“He as a lTTE operative in US had tried to bribe US undercover State Department officials to obtain material assistance for the lTTE two years ago. Subsequently, warrant for his arrest had been issued and the FBI is now on a lookout for him. He has since escaped to India. Recently he surfaced on NDTV and CNN IBN panel discussions on Sri lanka. And hence it is clear that he is hiding somewhere in Tamil Nadu,” said Swamy in a letter to Jayalalithaa, citing a warrant of FBI issued by a District Court of New York.
Swamy had said that Gaspar Raj was enjoying the patronage of several regional parties in Tamil Nadu and engaged in organising pro-lTTE functions across the State. According to the FBI warrant, Gaspar Raj along with other lTTE operatives engaged in fund raising for the terrorist organisation. They also tried to bribe US officials to remove lTTE from the list of terrorist organisations.
“I demand that the CM place national interest above her competitive Dravidian politics, and direct the TN Police to nab this wanted terrorist. The TN CM’s soft attitude to terrorist in Tamil Nadu has harmed the State and therefore seriously undermined law and order in TN, as well as compromised India’s sovereignty and good neighbourly relations with Sri lanka,” said Swamy.
Dubious organisations like International Tamil Centre and Tamil Maiyyam, headed by Jagath Gaspar use a devious strategy of roping in famous personalities from the field of fine arts to participate in their events by pressurising them using their political power, so that their events get some sort of genuineness and credibility.
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