Ceylon Workers’ Congress Senior Vice President Kanapathi Kanagaraj says that certain parties associated with the government are planning to remove the Thondaman Foundation and the Thondaman name from the plantations.
Speaking at a media conference held last Saturday, he said that although certain parties associated with the current government are trying to remove the Thondaman name from the plantations, the people of the Kalaguna Dutt plantations will not allow it.
A government MP asks questions in Parliament and a deputy minister answers. What I have seen in Parliament before is that when the opposition asks questions, the government ministers answer.
But now, like school children, a government minister asks questions and a deputy minister from the government answers. These people come after talking in advance. I will ask you this. You are asked to answer this. These people are making a joke. It is really something to be ashamed of.
These people are saying that the name of the Thondaman Foundation should be removed. There are foundations in the names of other people in this country, there are foundations in the names of Bandaranaike, there are foundations in the names of D. S. Senanayake, there are foundations in the names of Mahinda Rajapaksa, but these people want to remove the name of Thondaman, and it is a joke for them because the people of this plantation will not allow this to be done.
Because Samyamurthy Thondaman is a noble leader who has done great service to the people of this district and has achieved many victories for them. These people say that the Thondaman Foundation gets money. The children of those who work in the estates study at the Thondaman Vocational Training Center, not the Thondaman family. The children of the estates play at the Thondaman playground, not the Thondaman family.
During the Mulooya strike that went down in history, the police shot and killed an estate worker named Govindan. That is in history. But these people call him Mulleriya Govindan. These people do not even know that they have come to this parliament.
The government should remember that the National People’s Power has gained power in some local government institutions by joining forces with the Ceylon Workers’ Congress. If attempts are made to repeatedly attack the Ceylon Workers’ Congress, we will discuss the necessary measures and take the necessary decisions when necessary.