A controversial campaign song released by the National People’s Power (NPP) party in Sri Lanka has pledged to construct a bronze statue in honor of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in his hometown of Valvettithurai.
The London-based pro-LTTE media outlet Tamil Guardian reported that the NPP, a southern-based leftist party, has embraced overt Tamil nationalist rhetoric in the run-up to the local government elections. The party released a series of Tamil-language campaign songs celebrating the LTTE and its leadership, signaling a sharp and politically charged departure from its previous ideological stance.
One such song, shared on Facebook by NPP’s Jaffna MP Ilankumaran, glorifies Prabhakaran as a “noble leader” and promises the erection of a bronze effigy in his birthplace. The lyrics go further to assert that the NPP’s principles align with those of the LTTE, stating, “The principles of the national peoples power and those of the Tamil national leader are one and the same.”
The songs have stirred significant controversy, particularly due to the NPP’s history of opposing Tamil nationalist demands such as federalism or self-determination. Critics now accuse the party of political opportunism, using the emotionally resonant imagery of the Tamil armed struggle and fallen LTTE fighters to gain electoral favor in the North-East.
Tamil Guardian notes that the songs go beyond Prabhakaran’s memorial, promising to rename Nallur’s Sankiliyan Park to “Kittu Park” after senior LTTE commander Sathasivam Krishnakumar, and to build a landing pad and memorial for Prabhakaran’s parents. Another campaign song from Mullaitivu’s Karaithuraipattu region boldly equates the LTTE’s ideology with the NPP’s, stating, “The ideology of the Tamil national leader is communism. The ideology of the National People’s Party is also communism.”
A total of 28 campaign songs have reportedly been produced and disseminated across NPP’s official Tamil social media pages. The coordinated rollout features visuals of Maaveerar Naal commemorations, Prabhakaran’s former residence, and Tamil Eelam flags—elements historically associated with the LTTE and banned in public discourse under Sri Lankan law.
The reaction from the Tamil community has been mixed, with some expressing disillusionment over the party’s use of LTTE symbolism without any substantive policy commitments. “This is a party that has remained silent on the occupation of Tamil lands and the genocide,” said one Tamil campaigner. “Now they’re using our martyrs as election tools?”
