Ganesan wants only financial support from Delhi for upcountry Tamils

Leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), MP Mano Ganesan on Friday said that his party did not want political support from India’s Modi government for the Hill Country Tamils.What the TPA wanted was social progress assistance from Modi, Ganesan said.

Ganesan said in a tweet that his party had submitted a request to High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay earlier this year, for a Teacher training College for Science, Technology, English and Maths subjects, a Nurses Training College for Hill Country women and a University College for Estate sector Tamils.

Ganesan expressed the hope that, during President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi, Indian PM Narendra Modi will favorably consider these requests.

Asked to elaborate, Ganesan said: “We have decided to keep our demands to India to social progress assistances only. India has its own shared obligations and moral responsibilities towards the Indian origin Malaiyaga Tamils in Sri Lanka. The 1964 Sirimavo-Shastri repatriation Pact weakened our community. It can be redone now only by social progress assistance on affirmative principles. Our people are the most underprivileged, marginalized and vulnerable segment in the country. We seek full citizenry privileges within Sri Lanka. We wish India will address this issue from the very spirit of the 1964 pact.”

Ganesan said President Wickremesinghe has assured that he will nominate a presidential committee to talk to political party representatives of the Indian origin Hill Country Tamil community.

“We have such discussions with Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa too. Hence, our discussions on our national political aspirations will be conducted within Sri Lanka,” he said.