^{Photograph: Virakesari.lk}

The leader of the Thamizh Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) and former Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C. V. Wigneswaran urged the Sri Lankan government to “shed the false historical perspectives of the past” and insisted that the rights of the people in the North-East needs to be recognised as they “are entitled to the right of self-determination”.

Wigneswaran also stated that “we have a very powerful government now” and that there was “a similar government during the regime… [of] the 1983 Pogrom,” during his first parliamentary speech last week.

“Certainly this government too could follow the path of the elephant of that time and end up  as today reduced to a single member in the future.  But I am sure they would not. They would prefer to learn from our mistakes of the past and usher in a period of peace and prosperity where all communities would feel equal to each other and walk with dignity and pride as children of Mother Lanka,” he added.

Wigneswaran addressed the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism across the country and noted that all actions will instigate a reaction;

“In a country which professes Buddhism to expect a hegemonic dominance from anyone since we have not forgotten what the Sinhala villager is only too well familiar with - that every act has its opposite reaction- Kala kala dey pala whey!”

The comments drew reactions from a few MP’s in the parliamentary house. Recently, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Manusha Nanayakkara demanded the Speaker to retract parts of Wigneswaran’s speech that may “harm Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.”

Read the full statement here.