Archuna Ramanathan, an elected Member of Parliament from Jaffna district, made a parliamentary speech in which he referred to a woman from Ramanathapuram as a ‘prostitute’. This remark was widely condemned by individuals and organisations.
MP Archuna’s verbal attack on Swasthika Arulingam
On 15 March 2025, Swasthika Arulingam, a human rights lawyer and activist, wrote a Facebook post condemning Archuna Ramanathan’s remarks and accused Archuna of using parliamentary privilege to harass women. Archuna Ramanathan responded to Swasthika’s post, mentioning her by name and made derogatory remarks about her. Subsequently the post was removed, maybe he was advised that there was a risk of a lawsuit. But that day itself he published another longer post without naming Swasthika. But his references made it obvious that he was targeting her.
He focused on an opinion expressed by Swasthika nearly a year and a half ago which stated that the LTTE was an outfit with fascist tendencies. He shared a post by Vanni Oolal Ethirppu Ani (Vanni anti corruption movement) which directly mentioned that Swasthika had discredited the LTTE. They soon began posting slanderous and misleading content about Swasthika. They posted Swasthika’s photo with the title ‘The LTTE is a ruthless fascist organisation – Swasthika’. The same image was also used by the Tamil nationalists when she was prevented from speaking at the University of Jaffna.
Nationalist and misogynistic rhetoric
Archuna’s post itself is a strongly worded attack on Swasthika, a woman political activist, framed in nationalist and misogynistic rhetoric. It starts with the following:
“She insulted our national leader…She insulted 44,000 martyrs. She insulted my brothers who sacrificed their lives, bodies, and blood for the Tamil people
My brothers, who stood by my leader, Now ask from their graves. ‘Brother, you are still alive, aren’t you?’ The one who called my leader’s movement a fascist framework. Time has kept her alive until now. Doesn’t that bother you, brother?”
Archuna condemns her for criticising the movement [LTTE] as fascist and dishonouring the national leader and martyrs who scarified their lives. He describes her as dishonourable and unworthy of being called a woman. There are repeated attempts to discredit her character by associating her with perceived immoral behaviour, while also questioning her contributions to politics and women’s rights. The passage uses imagery, references to Tamil nationalist history, and dehumanising language to disseminate disinformation against her and issues a death threat for her treachery.
Political background of disinformation campaign
On 31 October, 2023 Swasthika Arulingam was invited to speak at the University of Jaffna’s law faculty on the independence of the judiciary. However, some Tamil nationalist students protested against her participation, arguing that she should not be allowed to speak because, at a book launch in Colombo, she had referred to the LTTE as having fascist tendencies. In fact, Swasthika had criticised the ethnocratic state structure and their racist politics against minorities, mainly. She also mentioned LTTE’s fascist tendencies and had stated that the rights of Tamils should be viewed separately from LTTE’s politics.
To de-escalate the situation, the university decided to cancel the event. Following this cancellation several social media posts and news articles praised the students’ “courageous” act of “chasing” Swasthika out of the university. Additionally, social media was flooded with sexual slurs and threats directed at her.
Some activists, who don a ‘progressive’ mask remained silent. In fact, one, gave an interview and defended the students, arguing that they were justified in preventing Swasthika from speaking, because she criticised the LTTE as a ‘fascist outfit’ . The rationale given was that criticising the LTTE amounted to support for the State.
It is concerning that in some left circles in the South, the LTTE is seen as freedom fighters, which is a symptom of intellectual laziness, that prevents meaningful political engagement with minority communities and their struggles.
It is true that some individuals and organisations condemned the university’s decision and highlighted key issues such as the disinformation campaign, the influence of LTTE’s Tamil nationalist ideology, misogyny, intolerance, and fascist tendencies. Several university professors, academics, and activists also released a signed statement in the media condemning the University of Jaffna’s decision to prevent Swasthika from speaking. However, in the Tamil nationalist space, such condemnations were not forthcoming nor were taken seriously.
Archuna Ramanathan’s response and manipulation
In this backdrop, after Swasthika’s criticism of Archuna’s earlier ‘prostitute’ remarks he launched a lurid disinformation campaign against Swasthika. Archuna Ramanathan is a manipulative politician who lacks principles. He is a misogynist and has previously made racist remarks against NPP MP Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, who is from the Malaiyaga community, and also against the Muslim community as a whole. He knows how to exploit nationalist sentiments. It should be noted that an anti-Muslim strand is ingrained in the LTTE’s ethnic nationalist discourse and the eviction of Muslims from the north stemmed from this exclusivist nationalism.
When Archuna made his initial derogatory comments about a woman in parliament, there was widespread condemnation on social media and in the press. However, after he diverted the focus by targeting Swasthika’s stance on the LTTE, the attacks against her—especially in the form of sexual slurs and misinformation—intensified on social media. He implied that she was a “traitor” and made a death threat for her treachery. Several people liked his post, and shared the post. Some even said that she should be killed.
When the LTTE and the Tamil nation are perceived as pure and morally superior, those who criticise the LTTE—especially women—are often portrayed as immoral. In this context, an ethnically pure nation is also imagined as one consisting of “moral” women which means they strictly adhere to patriarchal norms.
The larger issue: Patriarchy, misogyny, disinformation, and Tamil nationalism
In Fascism as a Mass Movement, Rosenberg observed: “Anyone can thump the keys of a piano, but that does not make them a musician.” Similarly, simply making noise about Archuna’s derogatory comments—writing reports, filing petitions, or expressing solidarity with Swasthika—without analysing the deeper sociopolitical factors linked to the fascist mindset and ultra-Tamil nationalist discourse are both ineffective and politically flawed. As Swasthika mentioned in her FB post, Archuna is just a symptom and not the cause of the disease.
The issue at hand is not just about the slander against Swasthika or taking legal action against Archuna. Nor is it about conducting an apolitical campaign that merely condemns insults against women. In a patriarchal society, sexist slurs are normalised, and it is crucial to challenge these structures and practices.
In any society, patriarchal norms and misogyny are embedded and conservative elements disseminate a discourse in which women occupy and placed in an unequal position. Women who fight against patriarchy are portrayed as immoral. However, such portrayal has a significant political force when it is articulated through the lens of nationalism. Whether it is ethnic Tamil nationalism or ethnic Sinhala nationalism, the trajectory is the same.
In this light, the disinformation campaign against Swasthika serves a specific political purpose and its connection to the LTTE’s ultra-nationalist, fascist mindset must be addressed. In the nationalistic cultural sphere, the construction of gender plays a crucial role. Women are portrayed as the guardians of culture and their dress and ‘moral character’ occupy centre stage. The gender role of a woman is framed in a way that reinforces the purity of the nation. Those deemed immoral are seen as enemies of the nation deserving punishment or even annihilation.
Rosenberg insightfully pointed out that fascist movements combine extreme nationalism with racism and hostility toward the left. The LTTE’s history of Tamil national liberation exhibited fascist tendencies, including violent opposition to leftist and democratic forces. In the 1990s, Communist Party and LSSP organisers such as Vijayendran and Annamalai were murdered by the LTTE. Communist Party activists were threatened into silence. Women activists like Selvi and Rajani were assassinated. Left-leaning Tamil nationalist militant groups like the NLFT were systematically eliminated. Human rights activists were also targeted—members of UTHR, such as Sritharan and Rajan Hoole, had to flee Jaffna. Kethesh Loganathan and Neelan Thiruchelvam, leading intellectuals in the Tamil community were murdered.
During the LTTE’s regime in the north and east, poor women who were forced to do sex work to earn their living were publicly executed and displayed. Further, an LTTE cadre had a sexual relationship with a woman cadre who became pregnant. This relationship happened without the approval of the LTTE leader. Both of them were executed in front of the other cadres.
In the LTTE’s nationalist discourse, the notion of a highly disciplined organisation loyal to its leader is closely intertwined with patriarchal moral codes regarding sexual relationships. Those who disobeyed these rules were punished within the organisation, and this disciplinary approach extended to society as well.
The enduring influence of LTTE ideology
While the LTTE as an organisation was militarily defeated and no longer functions, its ideological remnants continue to shape Tamil politics. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam’s party, the Tamil National People’s Front, sports a political position that is drawn from LTTE nationalism and has strong diaspora nationalist backing. Some may argue that this is simply an opportunistic move by this party, but it contributes to the ideological persistence of LTTE nationalism amongst Tamils. Similarly, the Tamil Democratic National Alliance also claims to be the true representative of Tamils, propagating the myth that the LTTE was a liberatory force.
While it is true that thousands of LTTE cadres lost their lives and tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were massacred by the armed forces, and there has been no public reckoning or justice dispensed to the Tamil people from the State, the way these losses have been utilised to serve ultra-nationalist ideology is deeply problematic.
The ethnocentric nature of the State’s ideology has contributed to the rise of Tamil nationalist discourse, with both feeding into each other to create division and distrust. The State’s failure to address minority rights since independence has been a key factor in the emergence of Tamil ethnic nationalism, and thus far, no viable solution has been offered.
Although the current NPP Government has pledged a policy of social justice, emphasising that there is no place for racism and bigotry—and a significant number of ethnic minorities voted for the NPP, the ideological influence of the LTTE persists.
Need to challenge extremism of both sides
There is no doubt that significant political measures have to be taken to challenge similar extremist Sinhala nationalist elements and wean the Tamil people away from such ultra Tamil nationalism.
It is a positive sign that in parliament, Bimal Ratnayake, Minister of Transport and leader of the parliament condemned the explicit sexual remarks made by a parliamentarian about Swasthika Arulingam and requested action against the MP. It is a warning that MPs cannot use their parliamentary privilege to make slanderous sexually derogatory comments. Although parliament should take action against hate speech and disinformation campaigns against women, progressives and democrats – especially from the Tamil polity ought to have self- reflection on the power of patriarchy and the articulation of gender roles within the ethnic nationalist framework.
A “true Tamil” and a “traitor.”
Since the LTTE’s fall, certain sections of the Tamil diaspora have played a direct and indirect role in perpetuating the LTTE’s ideology. The financial resources and privileged status of the diaspora have influenced Tamil political discourse. Additionally, Tamil media and social media play a significant role in defining who qualifies as a “true Tamil” and who is labelled a “traitor.”
Although Tamil nationalists lack a concrete plan for advancing their cause, their rhetoric remains fixated on international intervention.
The continuous promotion of this myth serves both a material and ideological function.
Even moderate Tamil nationalists like Sumanthiran have been persistently targeted by disinformation campaigns for several reasons: he condemned the LTTE’s expulsion of Muslims as ethnic cleansing; criticised the LTTE for its atrocities; (in addition to that of the state), and opposed armed struggle. When Sumanthiran invited Nalini Ratnarajah and Ambika Satkunanathan to contest the 2015 parliamentary elections, slanderous, misogynist campaigns were launched against them. This clearly illustrates the link between the LTTE’s ultra-nationalist ideology, intolerance, and misogyny.
It is crucial to understand how this puritanical ethnic nationalist discourse is articulated and disseminated, along with its gendered construction of the nation.
Rejection of dissent
A defining characteristic of ethnic nationalist discourse is its rejection of dissent. When a woman criticises the LTTE, puritanical gender norms come into play, fuelling intolerance and shifting the focus to her “immoral behaviour” and character rather than her political views. A woman’s “immoral behaviour” has no place in an exclusivist ethnic nationalist framework. She is an enemy of the nation and should be punished.
In this process, disinformation campaigns play a crucial role in spreading false narratives about women who criticise the LTTE’s ideology. These campaigns also serve to fuel ultra-nationalist discourse, where a woman’s so-called “bad behaviour” is constructed as a cancerous tumour —one that must be removed to preserve the purity of the nation.
Therefore without addressing the function of the LTTE’s exclusive nationalist discourse and the portrayal of women as the cultural guardians, of the nation, merely condemning Archuna’s sexism and disinformation campaign is meaningless.
The writer is an Tamil activist based in London.