Killing Rajiv Gandhi was our biggest mistake, admits LTTE leader

Mumbai: Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination was no less than a blunder, confided LTTE’s chief political strategist and negotiator Anton Balasingham in a new book ‘To end a civil war’ by Mark Salter.

Though the terrorist group’s leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran and intelligence chief Pottu Amman laid off the group’s involvement in the most talked of assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi; however, later on, they admitted the truth before Balasingham.

Balasingham shared the covert information with Norway’s former special envoy to Sri Lanka, Erik Solheim.

“Perhaps most controversially, in terms of official LTTE policies, Balasingham conceded that the killing of Rajiv Gandhi was the biggest mistake the LTTE had ever made,” said Solheim, as quoted in the book.

The book, which runs into 549-pages, gives a comprehensive insight into the plight of the then strife-torn Sri Lanka. Further, it also throws considerable light on how Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination was the biggest blunder undertaken by LTTE.

"Gandhi’s assassination was committed out of sheer vengeance by the group’s chief Prabhakaran. The macabre killings of Tamils by Indian troops when they were deployed in Sri Lanka in 1987-90 was the most pertinent reason behind Gandhi’s assassination. The leader’s conviction in the probability of Rajiv Gandhi sending troops to Sri Lanka if Congress came to power in India further consolidated his motives," reads the book.

LTTE has never officially conceded to Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination by a woman suicide bomber.

The book also gives an insight into Balasingham’s emotional upheaval immediately after the assassination. According to the book, Bala in his last days, when he was putting up at London, made special efforts for repentance; his affinity for India made him apologise for his misdeeds.

Besides, the Norwegian envoy said that when Balasingham was asked about LTTE’s alleged involvement in the assassination case, the Lankan political strategist blurted out the truth without any hesitation.

As mentioned in the book, Balasingham warned the envoy of the terror group and suggested him that one should not belittle the power of the organisation as they are capable of undue profanity.

‘Balasingham was very frank with us, including admitting to the LTTE's mistakes,’ added the envoy.