Rajiv, Prabhakaran: Bound by irony

22 May 2009, 0218 hrs IST, K Venkataramanan, TNN

CHENNAI: It was an unusual, but significant gesture, rich in irony, for one of them would order the other’s assassination. At the end of a meeting with the LTTE chief, Rajiv Gandhi asked his son Rahul to fetch his bullet-proof jacket, placed it on Velupillai Prabhakaran’s back, and said with his charming smile: ‘‘Take care of yourself.’’ Later, when officials suggested that Prabhakaran could not be trusted, Rajiv brushed aside the suggestion: ‘‘Prabhakaran has given his word. I trust him.’’ He was referring to the stipulation that the LTTE should disarm to help India find a solution through the accord that was to be signed in Colombo.

For 17 years, the anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination had been a ritual for Congressmen and an occasion for an anti-terrorism pledge by government servants. However, Thursday’s 18th anniversary has been invested with a new significance — the man who ordered his killing is now dead.

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