Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the biggest mistake of the Tamil tigers which cost them the sympathy of India.
"To kill Rajiv Gandhi. They antagonised the whole sympathy of India. That was the biggest mistake I think they did in 30 years," Rajapaksa told NDTV. He said that when ethnic Tamil issue took root in Sri Lanka, India was sympathetic to their cause. "...And finally they killed an Indian leader who was loved by all," Rajapaksa said when asked about the biggest mistake committed by the LTTE.
The Sri Lankan President said that another mistake of the Tamil Tigers was to underestimate the powers of the state. "They didn't gauge the powers of this soft country," he said. Asked whether Indian government put pressure on him during the final stages of the fight against the Tigers, Rajapaksa replied in the negative. "No. I dont think so," he said when asked whether there was pressure from India. "Among friends there cannot be pressure or persuasion," Rajapaksa said when pressed further on the issue. |