In a speech addressing the Tamil diaspora in Tokyo during his overseas tour to Singapore and Japan in May 2023 to attract investment in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had said that Tamil Nadu government will protect Tamil migrants Which has spread far and wide in search of education, business and employment. He said that protecting the Tamil language means protecting the Tamil community. He promised that his government and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) would extend full support to the Tamil community.
migrant facts
There is a sizeable number of Tamils in the Indian diaspora. They form the overwhelming majority of the Indian population in Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, South Africa, Seychelles, Re-Union Islands, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Australia in good numbers. , New Zealand, Gulf countries, USA and Canada, UK and European countries.
These dynamic groups have three identities – first, the Tamil identity; Second, the Indian identity and third, the identity of the countries where they have settled. Equally interesting is the phenomenon of the Indian diaspora. From Fiji, Malaysia and Singapore, the Indian diaspora is migrating to greener pastures such as Australia, Canada and the US. Noted diaspora writer Bharti Mukherjee said: “I am a woman of many countries. It is important to me that I Wherever I land and wherever I want to live, I should put my roots there.
It would be simplistic and naïve to assume that the hopes they hold and the problems they face are identical. It is closely related to the nature of their migration, their numerical numbers, their educational and professional achievements, their economic clout and above all, the majority-minority syndrome in the host countries. The Tamil diaspora has excelled in politics, economics, literature, fine arts, sports and science. Some of the names that have shone are Dr Chandrasekhar, Monty Naicker, Sambandan, Janaki Thevar, TS Maniyam, Soumyamurthy Thondaman, SR Nathan, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nagamattu, Indira Nooyi, Sundar Pichai, Raghuram Rajan and Kamala Harris.
policies of the host country, their impact
Mr. Stalin’s speech was reminiscent of two statements made by Jawaharlal Nehru in Malaya in March 1946 – “When India becomes free, her hands will be long and strong to protect each of her children abroad.” And, “Indians abroad must stand united and defend their rights and hold their heads high with pride as Indians – children of a nation with a great past and a great future.”
But Nehru’s hopes were soon dashed. Immediately after independence, Ceylon’s first legislative act was to provide for Indian Tamils, who had been taken to Ceylon under the protective umbrella of the British government, to provide labor on the tea plantations. Nehru’s principled stand was that those who consider Ceylon their home and have been living there for a long time should be granted citizenship. Ceylon argued that it had a sovereign right to impose citizenship rules.
The Burmese government never granted citizenship to thousands of Indian Tamils and expelled them. On the eve of his departure, the Burmese currency was demonetised. Women could not even bring mangalsutra with them. Bilateral relations have two dimensions as far as neighboring countries are concerned.
The first is to improve relations with governments politically, economically and culturally. The second is to protect and promote the interests of Indian minority groups. An overview of India’s policy towards Sri Lanka shows that in order to improve political relations, New Delhi was, on some occasions, willing to sacrifice the interests of the Indian diaspora. The Sirimavo-Shastri Pact of October 1964 is an example of betrayal. New Delhi adopted a policy of give and take and turned the Indian Tamil community into a commodity to be divided between the two countries. It should be highlighted that all the important leaders of the Madras Presidency, Rajagopalachari, Kamaraj Nadar, CN Annadurai, P. Ramamurthy and Krishna Menon were opposed to this settlement.
Shri Stalin has highlighted the need to protect and propagate Tamil language. But the sad fact is that the Tamil community in many countries has forgotten the Tamil language, one of the key elements of Tamil culture.
federal harmony is necessary
The policy towards overseas Indians falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Central Government. Nevertheless, state governments can influence policies by shaping public opinion. In the present context, what is needed is harmony and friendship between the Narendra Modi government and the DMK government.
The term ‘persecuted minorities’ could have been used in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The CAA also does not cover Sri Lanka, where ethnic infighting has forced many Tamils to come to Tamil Nadu as refugees. New Delhi regards Sri Lankan Tamil refugees as illegal immigrants and argues that they should be returned to Sri Lanka.
Instead of trying to have cordial relations with the Central Government, a policy of confrontation by Tamil Nadu would be suicidal. What the refugees want is Indian citizenship. All of them fulfill the residential qualifications prescribed in the Indian Citizenship Act. Indian Tamil refugees, who number 29,500, are stateless. Moreover, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are ready to give up their Sri Lankan citizenship to get Indian citizenship.
The need of the hour is that the State and Central Governments come together and arrive at an amicable solution. This requires statesmanship, not political opportunism.
V. Suryanarayana is the founding director and senior professor (retd) of the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras. Email: suryageeth@gmail.com