India, specifically the governments in Tamil Nadu, have failed to understand the ethnic conflict during the Sri Lankan civil war, according to legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a masterclass session on the sports biopic ‘A Legendary 800 – Against All Odds’ based on his life, at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Sunday (26).

“The problem in Sri Lanka… India never understood. It’s an honest answer. I am not scared to say that… India means I am not saying the Central Government, the Tamil Nadu Government didn’t understand what is the real problem there. Because it is so much different in Sri Lanka. See in Tamil [community] in Sri Lanka, there are several sub-groups,” Muralitharan said.

“… it’s all connected, but politically divided. My grandfather is from India [Tamil Nadu]. In the 1920s, he went to tea plantations. The British took us forcefully there. So that’s why our generation in Sri Lanka… we all grew up in the central hill country. We are called Indian-origin Tamils. They are called Sri Lankan Tamils… When they speak, the way they speak, the slang is different, but it is the same language,” he said.

“So some wanted to separate one portion [and make a] separate country. In the middle [region]. We didn’t want a separate country. We wanted to live amicably with everyone,” Muralitharan added.

Muralitharan said a few politicians in India did not understand the issue in his country and accused him of being a “traitor to the race”. 

“Because I didn’t say anything about the war and what happened and I was [seen as] pro-government… 5-10% of politicians think I am a traitor to the race,” he said. 

(Indian Express)