The visit assumes significance as Karunanidhi's flip-flop on the agenda of TESO generated criticism among Tamil leaders. The Centre had advised Karunanidhi against passing a resolution in support of Tamil Eelam at the conclave.

Senathiraja is the general secretary of The Ilankai Thamizh Arasu Katchi, which is the chief constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

"Though some leaders in Tamil Nadu try to block Tamil leaders from Sri Lanka and other countries, we are getting good response from most of the seniors in the Tamil diaspora. Senathiraja met Kalaignar and conveyed TNA's participation in the conference. Not only Tamil leaders from Sri Lanka, but a few Sinhala leaders who have been working for Tamil's rights like Vikrambahu Karunaratne have also confirmed their participation," a DMK leader said.