A leading leftist party in India-Communist Party of India (Marxist) aka CPI (M) has called upon the Sri Lankan government to ensure the equality and dignity of all Tamils in the island nation.
CPI(M), a pan-India leftist party, has representatives in both the houses of the Indian Parliament and members in many state legislative assemblies.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory was hailed by CPI(M) as a “historic occasion”.
“We are confident that President Anura Dissanayake would lead the country on the path of socio-economic development, progress and welfare, ensuring the rights of the minorities. We wish him all the very best in his endeavours,” The CPI(M) has stated.
The party’s 24th Tamil Nadu state conference, was held in Villupuram, a northern district of the state, over the first weekend of the New Year (3-5 January 2025).
One of the resolutions passed at the convention demanded that the Sri Lankan Tamils, Muslim, and the Indian Origin Tamils in Sri Lanka should be treated equally and with dignity and ensure power devolution to the provinces.
Resolution number 6 passed at the conference speaks about the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka and calls upon the state to ensure justice for them.
The resolution says, Tamils in Sri Lanka have been living without equality and have been subjected to racial attacks for a very long time and that led to the civil war and life without peace.
Adding further the resolution reads, due to such circumstances, people from the whole island suffered.
CPI(M) now asks the National People’s Power (NPP) whom they call their ‘counterpart comrade’ who is in power with a brutal majority to use such a situation to ensure full power devolution to the provinces and dignity and equality for all.
“The NPP which got the support of the minority people including Sri Lankan Tamils should ensure their welfare and equal status and dignity in the society”.
Its resolution also calls upon the ‘Comrade’ Anura Kumara Dissanayake to hold early elections to the provincial councils which have been due for a long time now.
“This conference urges the Sri Lankan government to take the necessary steps to fulfill the demands of the Tamil people by holding elections for all provinces of Sri Lanka, which are currently not being held, as soon as possible, and by delegating appropriate powers to the provincial councils”.
CPI(M) in their state conference said due discussions should take place with Sri Lankan Tamils, Muslims, and Upcountry Tamils in such a way as to gain their trust and solutions should be based on it.
“This conference emphasizes that while devolving power to the provincial councils, no restrictions shall be placed and powers should be granted to them in respect of subjects like Education, Health, Agriculture, Housing, Land, and Police among others”.
The resolution seeking dignity, equality, and power devolution to the Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka was proposed by the MP from the temple town of Madurai and popular author S. Venkatesan and was seconded by M. Chinnathurai a member of the Tamil Nadu State Assembly.
CPI(M) has four directly elected MPs in India’s lower house in Parliament called the House of People or Lok Sabha and five members elected to the House of Representatives or the upper house called Rajya Sabha.
Apart from having 9 members in the Indian Parliament, the CPI(M) is also in power in the south Indian state of Kerala and has its elected members in many state assemblies.
In its official website, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) claims “It is committed to working towards the establishment of People’s Democracy and social transformation through the Revolutionary Unity of all patriotic and Democratic forces with the Worker-Peasant Alliance as its core”.
The Marxist Party also has the Right to work, workers’ right to collective bargaining and strike, and guarantee for full civil liberties among its other core values and principles.
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