'No link' to Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, claims LTTE

In an alleged statement, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has claimed that they had 'no link' in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991.

The alleged letter from LTTE has been signed by their Political Wing representative Kurburan Guruswami and Legal Wing representative Lathan Chandralingam.

Claiming itself to be an organization 'by the people, for the people and of the people of Tamil Eelam,' LTTE, in its alleged statement, said that time and again they have clearly demonstrated with evidence in support that the LTTE has not been involved in any kind with the murder of Rajiv Gandhi, this unverified allegation is still being imposed.

"Due to this defamation campaign, our people are being pushed into instability. Some others even go too far as to assert that 'the lives of the 1,50 000 people killed in Mullivaikaal do not worth altogether to the single life of Rajiv Gandhi'. This declaration is hurting," the alleged statement read.

The LTTE never intended to demolish the leadership of India nor attack India. We never turned our guns toward any person or leader who was not part of Sri Lanka. We never planned any attack against any non-Sri Lankan leader. We never developed any action against any national leader of India," it added.

It further claimed that 'the pre-planned murder of Rajiv Gandhi is the result of a conspiracy motivated by the purpose of dismantling the strong relationship between the Indian government and the LTTE.'

"We ask for an immediate cessation of this allegation of defamation upon the LTTE concerning the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. As a result, we hope to put an end to the infamy on the LTTE on an international platform and that the International Community would at last end the ban on the LTTE that prevents our People to breathe the air of freedom," LTTE added.