Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan, M.P.
Profession: ---
Speeches 129 #33 of 225·#2 in party
Attendance 7/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Ethnic Reconciliation & Devolution 48 speeches
Last spoke 9 June 2026 in Debate
Activity by sitting
60 sittings · counts only, no scoring.
Topic focus
AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.
Speech history
129 speeches- 18 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan argued that Sri Lanka’s industrial and agricultural sectors have declined and urged the Government to prioritize reviving defunct industries in the North and East to create employment for youth. He specifically called for plans, data collection through Government Agents, and investment to restart the Kankesanthurai cement factory, Parantan chemical plant, Kurinjatheevu and Aanaivilunthaan salt works, Ottuchuddan brick factory, and Valachchenai Paper Mill. He also requested engagement with India for technology and support, particularly for the Kurinjatheevu salt works, and asked the Government to clarify plans and expected benefits regarding a possible Talaimannar-Rameswaram bridge. Appropriation Bill 2025, Twenty-third Allotted Day - Committee Stage: Heads 149, 303, 194 and 219 (Industry and Entrepreneurship Development; Youth Affairs and Sports) Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionInfrastructureEmployment Read →
- 6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised a procedural concern that answers had not been provided to questions he posed on 6 February 2025 to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock Resources, Lands and Irrigation and on 28 February 2025 to Hon. Harshan Nanayakkara regarding prisoners. He requested that specific dates be given for responses and that proper answers be provided to all three outstanding questions. Outstanding Questions Raised Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised questions under Standing Order 27(2) regarding the construction of the “Tissa Rajamaha Viharaya” on privately owned land in Thyiddy, Valikamam North, Jaffna. He asked whether the Government had acquired the land under the Land Acquisition Act, sought details of any Gazette notification and stated public purpose, and questioned the legality of using acquired land for a different purpose. He requested the Government’s response on returning the land to the owners who have been protesting for its release. Private Notice Question: Construction of Tissa Rajamaha Viharaya on Private Land in Thyiddy Religion & CultureJustice & Human RightsLand & Housing Read →
- 6 March 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan presented a petition on behalf of Mr. Shanmugam Logasivam of Nallur, Jaffna. The petition was ordered to be referred to the Committee on Public Petitions. Tabling of Annual Reports Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan called for a Division during the Committee Stage voting on Budget expenditure heads. Following electronic voting, the relevant allocations under Head 103 and defence-related Heads 222 and 223 were approved, with 88 Ayes, 10 Noes and no abstentions; opposition to Head 222 by G.G. Ponnambalam was recorded. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage Voting & Amendments (Heads 103, 189, 222-226, 304, 320, 325) Public FinanceParliamentary Procedure Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan argued that defence spending and troop deployment remain disproportionately high in the North and East despite the absence of war, while social welfare, education staffing, and capital investment are underfunded. He questioned the continued military presence, alleging that camps and military-run commercial activities affect civilian life and contribute to social harm in Tamil areas. He criticized repeated government commitments to a “domestic mechanism” for accountability as inadequate, and called for fair inquiry and a political solution. He also demanded the release of lands in Valikamam North and other areas still held as High Security Zones, noting prolonged displacement of Tamil residents. Appropriation Bill 2025 - Committee Stage Debate (Defence & Public Security Heads) Security & DefenceEthnic Reconciliation & DevolutionPublic Finance Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary The Member submitted to the Table a list of long-term detainees and a copy of a letter from the organization “Voice of the Voiceless” addressed to the President regarding their release. The documents were placed in the Library for the Minister’s attention. Questions by Private Notice - Construction Work in Mannar & Release of Tamil Political Prisoners Justice & Human Rights Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan urged the Minister to give special, humane consideration to the cases of several named prisoners who have been incarcerated for periods ranging from 16 to 30 years. He requested a response on their situation, noting the lengthy duration of their imprisonment and asking that the matter receive particular attention. Questions by Private Notice - Construction Work in Mannar & Release of Tamil Political Prisoners Justice & Human Rights Read →
- 28 February 2025 AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan raised a question under Standing Order 27(2) to the Minister of Justice and National Integration regarding Tamil political prisoners detained for long periods in Sri Lankan prisons. He asked for the number of such prisoners, the prisons in which they are held, and the Government’s timeline for their release. He also requested consideration of their release on humanitarian grounds or through a Presidential pardon, citing the impact on their families and the Government’s stated themes of ethnic harmony and reform. Questions by Private Notice - Construction Work in Mannar & Release of Tamil Political Prisoners Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionJustice & Human Rights Read →
- 18 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan said his party does not oppose the Budget’s development objectives, noting that a government Bill had passed unanimously the previous day with 187 votes. He urged the Government to use the current political moment to bring forward a federal-based solution to the ethnic issue, asserting that it would receive support in Parliament and among the Sinhala public. Adjourned Debate on Second Reading of the 2025 Budget Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionPublic Finance Read →
- 18 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan argued that Sri Lanka has a longstanding unresolved ethnic question, citing the Banda–Chelva Pact, the Dudley–Chelva Pact, the Sinhala Only Act, and S.J.V. Chelvanayakam’s call for federal power-sharing with safeguards for Tamil-speaking people. He said Tamil demands for equal citizenship, language, land, and identity have historically been met with repression, and urged the Government to recognize the Tamil nation and pursue a durable political solution. He also invited cooperation from Tamils and the diaspora, stating that reconciliation, economic recovery, and national progress depend on an arrangement in which both communities can live with dignity. Adjourned Debate on Second Reading of the 2025 Budget Justice & Human RightsEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 18 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan criticised the Budget’s expenditure structure, arguing that recurrent spending is too high and capital investment too low for economic recovery, and formally objected to the Rs. 442 billion defence allocation in the absence of war, particularly given unresolved resettlement, land return, and military presence issues in Tamil areas. He questioned how the Government’s stated vision of a united and prosperous Sri Lanka would protect the identities, dignity, language rights, and political rights of Tamil, Sinhala, Up-country Tamil, and Muslim communities. He said appeals to the diaspora, especially the Tamil diaspora, must be accompanied by credible engagement with the Tamil political question, including recognition of Tamils as a national people. Citing Singapore and historical discussions of federalism, including S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike’s 1926 writings, he urged reflection on constitutional and political arrangements to ensure unity and trust. Adjourned Debate on Second Reading of the 2025 Budget Public FinanceSecurity & DefenceEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Read →
- 17 February 2025 AI summary The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan supported the inclusion of youth representation alongside the women’s quota in the Local Authorities Elections framework, but raised concerns about instability under the existing 60:40 mixed electoral system. He urged consideration of a 70:30 ward-to-proportional ratio, questioned why the 5 per cent threshold used in other elections is not applied to local government seat allocation, and asked whether these changes could be included by amendment. He also cautioned against holding elections too hastily given examinations, the Budget debate, Easter observances, and Ramadan, and requested a practical election date that would not disrupt these activities. Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill: Second Reading InfrastructureParliamentary ProcedureLaw & Order Read →
- 14 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan stated that the Tamil translation of a judgment read in Parliament was inaccurate. He requested that a correct Tamil translation be provided. Committee Report: Public Finance Committee - Disbursement Bill 2025 Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 14 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised a concern that the Tamil interpretation of the Speaker’s reading of the Supreme Court determination on the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill was inaccurate and not delivered properly at the same pace. He requested that a correct Tamil translation be provided during the afternoon Ministerial Consultative Committee meetings. Committee Report: Public Finance Committee - Disbursement Bill 2025 Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 14 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised a point of order. No substantive argument, proposal, or policy issue was stated in the provided excerpt. Committee Report: Public Finance Committee - Disbursement Bill 2025 Parliamentary Procedure Read →
- 7 February 2025 AI summary Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan thanked the Minister for responses under Standing Order 27(2) and raised concerns about several named individuals from Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Uduvil whose families are seeking their rescue. He requested a copy of the tabled list of deceased persons to verify whether those individuals are alive or dead, and asked what avenues exist for rescue, noting family claims that they had been forced into the army. Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation Security & DefenceJustice & Human Rights Read →
- 6 February 2025 AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan raised questions under Standing Order 27(2) to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation on flood damage to paddy cultivation during 2024/2025, particularly affecting smallholder farmers in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. He asked for national and regional figures on damaged paddy lands and affected farmers, and details of insurance, compensation, or relief schemes. He also urged immediate issuance of compensation application forms in Kilinochchi, noting that harvesting had largely begun or ended before the guaranteed paddy price was announced and that yields had fallen sharply due to flooding. Questions Under Standing Order 27(2) AgricultureEnvironmentCost of Living Read →
- 23 January 2025 AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan welcomed the Minister’s measures on the rice issue but reported severe flood damage to paddy cultivation, including around 60 percent of fields in Kilinochchi and losses across Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa. He said wet and damaged paddy could not be stored and that farmers had suffered losses both during flowering and harvesting stages. He urged the Government to provide urgent support and a lifeline for affected farmers ahead of the coming short season. Debate: Regulations under Imports and Exports (Control) Act and Related Economic Measures Public FinanceAgriculture Read →
- 23 January 2025 AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan raised concern over reports that a woman from Kilinochchi had allegedly died by suicide while in custody at the Maradana Police Station, asserting that she was killed. He questioned how such a death could occur inside a police station and requested the Minister of Public Security to ensure immediate justice. Matter of Privilege: Non-Allocation of Time to Speak in Parliament Law & OrderJustice & Human Rights Read →