Sri Lanka's war against the Tamil Tigers buffeted Indian politics on Thursday after a regional party sympathetic to the rebels shut down a key electoral swing state in the middle of India's general election. The 12-hour strike called by the DMK, which rules Tamil Nadu state and is an ally of India's ruling coalition, is seen as an attempt to garner votes by being sympathetic to the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka. Indian politicians face pressure to protect Lankan Tamils, who are closely linked to about 60m Tamils in Tamil Nadu across a narrow strait from Sri Lanka.