The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Give me my time to speak to my people as I choose. Do not decide my content. I respect the Chair; do not waste my time.

¶ 02 There is a book titled “Major Public Investment Projects.” Briefly: in the North and East, allocations for general education are 0%. For the Northern University, 0.28%; for the Eastern University, 0.8%. For youth development, 0%. For women’s safety and sports, 0%. Meanwhile, Rs. 2,350 million has been used for religious, cultural and heritage sectors, but North and East allocations are zero. For agriculture and livestock in the North, Rs. 18 and 25 billion are cited as used, yet allocations for the North are shown as zero. For tourism in the North, zero.

¶ 03 Hon. Presiding Member, allow me a few seconds more. For the Mullivaikkal bridge, Rs. 500 million is allocated—1.37% of the total you say is for the North—yet you solicit votes there. If you insult my community, in the upcoming local elections, every vote cast in the North is not against me but about the future of the Tamil people. Let every Tamil think who we are—we are Tamils. We did not kill in clusters or go house to house. I am a Jaffna Tamil. Thank you.