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Thondaman shifts to Badulla

by S.S. Warani

Central Provincial Council Member P.P. Govindaraj assured that the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse would solve the problems of the plantation workers,but alleged that the votes of the plantation workers were being sold for money and portfolios.

So far the lives of the plantation population had seen no improvement. "We have total confidence in the Prime Minister that he would solve the problems of the downtrodden, said Govindaraj while addressing the press conference held after the launching of 'Mahinda Chintana' at the BMICH on Oct.18. Govindaraj, a member of the Ceylon Worker's Congress, recently resigned from the party in support of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.

Upcountry People's Front dissident S. Arulsamy while addressing a meeting held in Matale on October 13 said that he had left his party to create a major change in the upcountry political leadership.

He said his mission would begin with the victory of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse at the Presidential poll. Samurdhi and Poverty Alleviation Deputy Minister Rohana Dissanayake presided over the meeting.

Arulsamy further said that after independence the United National Party abolished the citizenship and voting rights of the plantation community. It was during the regime of late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike that plantation workers were able to get many benefits, including the Employee's Provident Fund. May Day was declared a holiday.

Many laws were promulgated to protect workers' rights. Present leaders had forgotten the past.``Their aspirations are that the workers should continuously live in line rooms, so that they could live in the lap of luxury," he said.

He said he had come forward to strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister to win the five demands that include employment in the public sector, land to build houses and taking over of all estate hospitals. Arulsamy said that Prime Minister Rajapakse had pledged to fulfil these demands.

UPF leader and Parliamentarian P. Chandrasekeran said that minority votes would be the deciding factor at the Presidential polls. The political demands and expectations of the people of the Northeast had been already spelt out. However, the permanent solution to the plantation community had not been addressed by any national parties.

Chandrasekeran said that the Presidential polls would be a turning point for the upcountry people. He said the results of the presidential poll should reflect in the future parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, Ceylon Worker's Congress Leader Arumugan Thondaman has now shifted his political platform from Nuwara Eliya to Badulla. He said that he would strengthen his party in Uva province.

According to CWC sources, Thondaman would contest from Badulla at the next Parliamentary elections.

Sources said if he was to contest in Badulla, it would undermine the UNP - Tamil vote bank. K. Velayutham was the strongman in Badulla and he was elected to Parliament under UNP ticket.

Thondaman was concentrating more on the future parliamentary elections than the Presidential polls, an upcountry trade unionist said.

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