Member of Parliament Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam stated that the Vaddukottai Resolution remains firm and relevant, and warned that any Tamil party supporting a unitary state constitution would be committing a historic betrayal against the Tamil people.
He made these remarks during a discussion organized by the Tamil National People’s Front held on last Sunday at Ilankai Kalaignar Hall, Jaffna, focusing on defeating a unitary state framework and the role of Tamil nationalist parties.
MP Gajendrakumar emphasized that the Vaddukottai Resolution cannot be questioned or criticized by anyone, noting that the Tamil people have continuously given their mandate to Tamil nationalist parties based on that resolution. He recalled that in the 1977 general election, Tamil voters overwhelmingly supported Tamil nationalist parties under the principles of the Vaddukottai Resolution, and that mandate was also reflected in the Thimpu Principles as well.
He further stated that if anyone believes they have the right to challenge or criticize the resolution, a fresh referendum should be held in the North and East to determine the will of the Tamil people.
According to him, the Tamil people’s position has always been to live with the right to self-determination within an undivided country through a federal or quasi-federal constitutional arrangement.
Referring to the last parliamentary election, MP Gajendrakumar said that due to the disunity among Tamil parties, some Tamil voters were drawn toward the National People’s Power (NPP), but pointed out that only about 18% of Tamil voters supported the NPP, while the majority still voted for Tamil nationalist parties.
He warned that the NPP leadership appears to believe that Tamil people have given them a mandate and would support even a unitary constitution. He cited remarks made by NPP representatives at a recent federalism-related discussion in Switzerland, where they reportedly stated that their government holds a two-thirds parliamentary majority and could determine public opinion through a nationwide referendum without relying on party support.
MP Gajendrakumar cautioned that any Tamil nationalist party supporting a unitary constitution would place the Tamil people in serious danger and cause major setbacks both domestically and internationally. He stressed that Tamil leaders have warned since 2015 about the possible introduction of a unitary constitution, and said the situation is now becoming clear.
He concluded that it is a historic responsibility for Tamil political forces to unite and oppose such a move, calling for cooperation from all sides to safeguard the political future and rights of the Tamil people.
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