How Many Tamil (Muslim) Players in Sri Lankan Cricket Team ? Chauvinism at its worst

Murali says ‘not end of the world’

WEDNESDAY, 27 MARCH 2013

The city of Chennai, in many ways, has been a second home for Muttiah Muralitharan. Besides being a Tamil, the former Sri Lankan off-spinner is married to an Indian who belongs to the city. Moreover, Muralitharan represented the Chennai Super Kings during the first three seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

But with the Tamil Nadu government having declared the state capital a ‘no-Sri-Lankan-zone’, Muralitharan will in all likelihood be forced to give Chennai a miss during the sixth edition of IPL starting next month.

And the 40-year-old Sri Lankan spin legend expressed his disappointment at the unsavoury developments.

“It’s sad that the Tamil Nadu government doesn’t want us there. It’s always unfortunate when people in power start mixing politics with sports. So if they don’t want me in Chennai then I won’t go. I can’t do anything else about it,” Muralitharan told The Indian Express on Tuesday.

Muralitharan, who now represents Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), however, confirmed his participation in IPL-6 and said that he will be very much a part of RCB’s campaign.

“The IPL is a great tournament. And I love being a part of it. I now play for Bangalore and I’m sure our fans there will be looking forward to seeing us in action. So what if Chennai doesn’t want us. It’s not the end of the world. I’ll still be a part of the team in all other cities and enjoy their support,” he added.

In the aftermath of the TN government’s move, many former Sri Lankan cricketers such as Arjuna Ranatunga have asked the 13 Sri Lankan players, including Muralitharan, to boycott IPL-6 as a whole. But Muralitharan urged his compatriots to take a more pragmatic stand.

“It’s disappointing for sure but we are entertainers after all and should not get involved with the politics. Our job is to go out there and perform. The worst case is that we will be left out of the team for that one match. Eventually the decision will be left to the individual but I’m sure the IPL as a whole will not be affected by this,” said Muralitharan.
Muralitharan with his wife Madhimalar Ramamurthy

Muralitharan added that the ban also affected him at a personal level considering the deep-rooted links he shares with Chennai. And also because he is a Tamil.

“I am a Tamil. But I’m a Sri Lankan first. And the ban means, I’m not wanted there either. I can assure you that there has been immense peace all around Sri Lanka since the war ended and the Tamils are living very happily here. They are treated equally well,” he explained. (Source: Indian Express)

Anti-Muslim Posters Campaign In Kandy

March 16, 2013 

An increase in the emergence fresh anti-Muslim posters in the Kandy district has left Muslim community in deep sorrow, Tamil language website Jaffnamuslim.com reports.

The fresh posters whipping up racism such as “Remove slaughterhouse from the Kandy town”, “Kandy will not be allowed to be turned into another Akuressa” and “Don’t purchase things from Muslim shops” have created a fear psychosis among the Muslim people in the area, not knowing what is in store for them.  

STOP CALLING SRI LANKA A FRIENDLY NATION DEMANDS TAMIL NADU

March 27, 2013 

Stepping up pressure on the UPA government on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, Tamil Nadu today demanded that India move a resolution in the UN security council for a referendum for separate Tamil Eelam and stop calling Colombo a friendly nation.

The Tamil Nadu assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to slap economic embargo on Colombo till the “suppression” of Tamils was stopped and those responsible for “genocide and war crimes” faced an international probe.

Moving the resolution, chief minister Jayalalithaa said the ongoing students protest was reflective of her government’s initiate on the Sri Lankan issue even as she requested them to withdraw the stir and resume classes.

Launching a tirade against the Centre and DMK, she alleged that both had “failed” to ensure ceasefire in 2009 when hostilities were at the peak in Sri Lanka.

She charged DMK supremo Karunanidhi with adopting “duplicity” on the issue and said people were aware of it. Her remarks drew vociferous protests from DMK members.

Speaker P Dhanapal ordered for eviction of agitated DMK members when his plea for restoration of order in the House went unheeded. (PTI)

Chauvinism at its worst

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa did more than give her stamp of approval to calls for protests against the participation of Sri Lankan players in the Indian Premier League. By declaring that the State government will permit the matches to be held in Chennai only if the organisers provided an undertaking that no Sri Lankan players, umpires, officials or support staff would participate in these matches, she effectively endorsed chauvinism and discrimination in sport and politics. But the IPL governing council did more harm than Ms Jayalalithaa. Its decision to keep the Sri Lankan players out of the matches in Chennai after talking to the team owners will have larger, long-term repercussions for not only cricket, but also India’s international relations. Protesting against atrocities by the Sri Lankan military is one thing, preventing cricket matches involving Sri Lankan players is entirely another. For a person entrusted with the task of ensuring law and order, Ms Jayalalithaa, in her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, appeared too eager to surrender her responsibilities. Far from extending assurances on the law and order front, she voiced her apprehension that the participation of Sri Lankan players “will aggravate an already surcharged atmosphere and further offend the sentiments of the people” of Tamil Nadu. To drop the Sri Lankan players on this ground is to blatantly discriminate on the basis of nationality and ethnic identity.

If the IPL is to be open to foreign players, it must be open to all foreign players. For a government to decide who should or should not be in the playing XI, and withhold permission to host the matches on this count, is plain wrong. The IPL organisers evidently took the easy way out. Taking the matches out of Chennai would have involved greater costs than keeping the Sri Lankan players out of the city. Not too long ago, when India’s relations with Pakistan were at an all-time low, the cricketing authorities worked behind the scenes and prevailed upon team owners not to bid for any Pakistani player. But now, the IPL governing council does not have even this fig-leaf. The arm-twisting is in the open. It is not just cricketing logic that is at stake here. That dropping some players and selecting some others will distort the game is the least of the problems. True, teams had bid for and taken players at huge costs, and those who put their money on Sri Lankan stars are at a huge disadvantage. But worse, sport, which brings peoples together, has now been turned into a vehicle of jingoism and ethnic affinities. The effects of such divisive politics will surely be felt beyond the realms of cricket, and for far longer than will be obvious immediately.