Requested the MEA @SushmaSwaraj to raise India's concerns over the removal of Thiru. Savumiamoorthy Thondaman's name from Sri Lankan Govt....
DMK leader M.K. Stalin urged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to protest the removal of Savumiamoorthy Thondaman name from Sri Lankan institutions.
M.K.Stalin@mkstalinOriginal post
Requested the MEA @SushmaSwaraj to raise India's concerns over the removal of Thiru. Savumiamoorthy Thondaman's name from Sri Lankan Govt. Institutions with their Govt. The revered leader of Hill Country Tamils must continue to be recognised for his immense contributions. https://t.co/I0QRNcVFOJ
DMK working president M.K. Stalin communicated formally with Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on November 15, 2017, urging the Indian government to register strong diplomatic objections with Sri Lanka. Stalin expressed deep dismay over reports that the Sri Lankan administration had removed the revered name of veteran labor leader Thiru Savumiamoorthy Thondaman from prominent government institutions, including a national vocational training institute established for plantation youth.
Stalin underscored that Savumiamoorthy Thondaman was an iconic statesman who dedicated his entire life to securing citizenship, labor dignity, and political rights for millions of Indian-origin Hill Country Tamils working in the island's tea estates. Erasing his name from public institutions constituted a deliberate attempt to diminish the historic identity and contributions of Malayaha Tamils who endured decades of disenfranchisement and hardship.
The DMK leader urged the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the sensitive matter immediately with their Sri Lankan counterparts at the highest diplomatic level. He emphasized that India possesses a moral and historical obligation to safeguard the rights and cultural dignity of Tamil minorities abroad. Stalin reaffirmed that the DMK will persistently champion the legitimate rights and heritage of Tamil communities worldwide.