சோனியா காந்தி மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதி : தீவிர கண்காணிப்பில் இருப்பதாக தகவல்
இறுதி யுத்தத்தில் இந்தியா எவ்வாறு நடந்துகொண்டது என்பதை அன்றைய சோனியாவின் பாதுகாப்பு ஆலோசகர் சிவசங்கர் மேனன் தனது புத்தகத்தில் இவ்வாறு குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளான். What Menon Actually Says in Choices 1. India made a strategic choice to support Colombo’s campaign. Menon describes the 2009 war as one of India’s critical “choices” in foreign policy — choosing between humanitarian concerns/demands from Tamil Nadu and the strategic imperative of maintaining influence with Sri Lanka’s government and keeping other powers (notably China) at bay. India ultimately chose to support the Sri Lankan government’s military effort rather than push for a ceasefire that could undermine Colombo’s position. puradsimedia.com+1 2. India engaged closely with Sri Lanka’s leadership. He recounts regular, discreet visits by Indian officials — including himself and then-Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee — to Colombo during the war for direct briefing and coordination. World Socialist Web Site 3. Menon argues that standing aside would have politically ceded Sri Lanka to other powers. Menon justifies India’s support to Colombo on geopolitical grounds — that refusing support to the Sri Lankan government would have weakened Indian influence in its immediate neighborhood and allowed China or others to fill the vacuum. He frames it as a choice dictated by realpolitik, not altruism. World Socialist Web Site 4. Menon notes that the war ended with the military defeat of the LTTE rather than a negotiated settlement. He characterizes the war’s conclusion as a military end to terrorism and argues that this was one of the rare occasions where military force produced such an outcome, even though brutality was inevitable. puradsimedia.com 🛰️ India’s Practical Help to Sri Lanka (Context from Other Sources) While Menon’s book describes the rationale, other sources document how that support was operationalized — though some of these details are reported outside the Choices book itself: ✔️ Intelligence and Naval Support India’s navy and naval intelligence helped locate and destroy supply vessels and “floating warehouses” used by the LTTE, disrupting their logistics at sea. The New Indian Express Indian reconnaissance aircraft provided real-time tracking of Tiger maritime movements to the Sri Lankan Navy. The New Indian Express+1 ✔️ Military Hardware Transfers India quietly gifted Mi-17 transport helicopters that were used in combat support roles by Sri Lankan forces, despite publicly denying offensive weapons supply. The New Indian Express Indian Coast Guard gifted an offshore patrol vessel and patrolled jointly with Sri Lankan forces to help deter Sea Tiger movements. The New Indian Express ✔️ Strategic and Diplomatic Backing India discouraged international pressure for a ceasefire during the final offensive, arguing that this would prolong the conflict and strengthen the LTTE. (Menon suggests the international community was generally restrained and India did not push a ceasefire hard.) SBS Australia According to reporting about his book, Menon recalls that Tamil Nadu politicians privately supported opposing efforts by other countries (e.g., the US and Norway) to intervene or “rescue” LTTE leadership. The New Indian Express 🛥️ On Allegations like Blocking a US Naval Rescue There are claims circulating online and in some commentary that India worked to prevent the US Navy from attempting to rescue LTTE leaders or arms suppliers, but these are not substantiated in Menon’s own text. Menon does note rationales for opposing outside military missions that could complicate India’s strategic posture, but he does not explicitly describe blocking a specific US rescue operation in Choices. SBS Australia ✨ Summary — What Menon’s Book Really Says 🔹 Menon portrays India’s role as strategic support rather than strict neutrality. puradsimedia.com 🔹 India prioritized keeping Sri Lanka aligned with India and away from China over pressuring Colombo. World Socialist Web Site 🔹 India engaged with Sri Lanka’s leadership behind the scenes during the war. World Socialist Web Site 🔹 He argues that India’s actions, even if politically hard, were aimed at preserving India’s influence and regional stability. SBS Australia மேனனின் சொந்த கருத்துக்கள் அவன் எழுதிய "தெரிவுகள்" எனும் புத்தகத்தில் இவ்வாறு பதியப்பட்டுள்ளன. 1. Title and Opening Framing The chapter on Sri Lanka is explicitly titled: 2. India’s Role in Cutting Off LTTE Supplies Menon describes how the LTTE had been “starved of supplies by sea” by early 2009 and notes that this was achieved through effective intelligence and interdiction by the Sri Lankan armed forces with the help of others. puradsimedia.com He writes (verbatim from the chapter text available): This line makes clear that Indian naval intelligence and interdiction efforts were part of the campaign that cut the LTTE’s maritime lifelines — a major operational factor in the rebels’ defeat. puradsimedia.com 3. Structure of the Chapter Text The chapter opens with two epigraphs that reflect its theme: These quotations underwrite Menon’s framing of the end of the Sri Lankan war as ultimately a case where force – not diplomacy – resolved an entrenched 26-year conflict, even if at great human cost. puradsimedia.com 📌 What Choices Does and Does Not Include ✔️ What the Book Explicitly Says Menon’s chapter confirms India’s role in intelligence and maritime interdiction efforts against LTTE supply lines. puradsimedia.com He presents the outcome — defeat of the LTTE — as the result of sustained military pressure, not negotiated settlement. puradsimedia.com India is described as weighing strategic, domestic political, and humanitarian interests in determining what it did and did not do. icsin.org ❌ What Choices Does Not Contain (As Far as Public Excerpts Show) The publicly available chapter (and summaries) do not include direct extended quotations where Menon lists items like “naval blockade,” or “prevented US rescue operations” verbatim. These themes are reported by commentators and some newspaper coverage summarising Menon’s account — not verbatim text from the book itself. The New Indian Express The book does not print out all operational details in literal quotes beyond the introduction passage available on PDFs, so scholars normally obtain full text through the book itself. Penguin Random House India 📌 Contextual Observations from Reporting on Menon’s Account While not direct quotations, other reporting on Menon’s chapter highlights additional content reflected in his narrative: 🟦 India’s strategic rationale — Menon notes ― had India “stood aside” and pressed for a halt, it risked “defending the killers of an Indian Prime Minister” and ceding influence to other powers — an argument expressed as part of his assessment of India’s choices. The New Indian Express 🟦 Tamil Nadu political nuance — He discusses how Tamil Nadu political leaders privately supported the Indian government’s stance against external rescue efforts for LTTE leadership, despite public posturing — a nuance about domestic politics influencing foreign policy. The New Indian Express (Note: This is reflected in detailed reporting based on the book, not the PDF excerpt itself.) 🧠 Summary of Key Direct Text from Choices Here are the verified direct lines / paraphrased text from Choices based on available excerpts: 🔹 The LTTE was starved of supplies by sea due to intelligence and interdiction involving the Indian Navy. puradsimedia.com 🔹 The chapter is built around the idea that force ultimately worked where diplomacy had failed. puradsimedia.com 🔹 Menon titles the chapter to reflect that “Force Works” in the Sri Lankan context — a deliberately chosen framing. puradsimedia.com Overall Interpretation Shivshankar Menon’s Choices doesn’t deny India’s strategic involvement in the Sri Lankan war’s final phase. It explicitly frames India as part of efforts that cut off LTTE supply lines and worked with Colombo’s military strategy while weighing geopolitical and domestic pressures. What Menon doesn’t provide in the publicly available excerpts are extended direct quotations detailing every military assistance action — researchers generally access the full book (in print or e-book) for those exact lines, as publisher sites only preview parts. Penguin Random House India
