The hill region and Eelam Tamils living in Sri Lanka are not given equal rights in the island nation despite being loyal, Sri Lankan MP Mano Ganesan said in Chennai on Thursday.
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Delivering an address at the World Tamil Diaspora Day celebrations, organised by the Tamil Nadu government in the Chennai Trade Centre, he said, “Wherever we are, we are loyal to the countries where we live. We are loyal to the governments in those countries. Except Sri Lanka, governments across the world have been giving equal rights to Tamils living there...”
Be it Tamils living in northeastern Sri Lanka or Tamils living in hill region of Sri Lanka, “we are not living with equal rights,” Mr. Ganesan contended.
“At the same time we are supporting the Tamil nationalism, we are supporting the nationalism of the countries we live in. We, the Sri Lankan Tamils, are loyal to our government in Sri Lanka. But, our loyalties are not accepted,” he further said.
The Sri Lankan MP said he was particularly impressed by the equality in the Dravidian model of governance in Tamil Nadu and wished that the concept of equality crossed over the seas and embraced Sri Lanka.