Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Deputy Leader and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Nuwara Eliya District Opposition MP Velusami Radhakrishnan yesterday (6) pointed out in Parliament that his party is ready to extend their support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe if he ensures a daily wage of Rs. 3,000 to estate workers and promises to resolve their housing and land-related issues.
“We are not against the President, but if he agrees to resolve the issues of the estate workers, the TPA is ready to extend its support to him,” he added.
While addressing Parliament during the Budget debate on the Ministry of Agriculture head of expenditure yesterday, he welcomed the move initiated by President Wickremesinghe to resolve the ethnic issue.
“He should not only be confined to the issues in the North and the East, but also resolve issues of plantation Tamils and Muslims as well,” he added.
He further said that tea, vegetables, and flower cultivations have been profoundly affected in the Nuwara Eliya District due to a shortage of fertilisers and pesticides.
“The flower export industry, the tea industry, and vegetable cultivations have been thoroughly affected in the Nuwara Eliya District due to a shortage of fertilisers and pesticides. I urge the Ministry to look into these issues. This issue has affected the people living in the estates,” he further added, while also noting that the Ministry should take the necessary steps to bring the affected industries back to normalcy.
“I urge that the cultivation of these crops be increased. The ban on chemical fertilisers has led to various issues. You neglected the agricultural sector by banning chemical fertilisers and such decisions have caused a setback in this country,” he added.
“The upcountry people are suffering, as they’ve not even been granted a salary increment of Rs. 1,000. They are facing serious issues. They do not have housing facilities or lands. Plantation companies have grabbed the agricultural lands of the upcountry people. These activities have badly affected the agriculture of the upcountry people. The laws relating to plantation companies are quite stern on the people.”
Meanwhile, on an earlier occasion, speaking to The Morning, TPA’s Leader and SJB MP Mano Ganesan expressed disappointment over the Budget 2023 speech by President Wickremesinghe, claiming that Wickremesinghe’s apparent ignorance has shattered the hopes of hill-country Tamils.
“This has shattered the hopes of our people. We are disappointed at the ignorance of Wickremesinghe on the issues of the plantation sector and the urban poor. The World Bank, the United Nations agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Sri Lanka Red Cross have identified that food insecurity and poverty rates are high in plantations and also amidst the urban poor,” he added, claiming that President Wickremesinghe has failed to implement the expected affirmative action relief plans for these underprivileged segments.