Buddhist temples in the North East should be accepted as ‘Tamil Buddhist temples’- Mano Ganesan insists

Former Minister of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress, Hindu Affairs and the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA)  Mano Ganesan has insisted that Buddhist temples in Tamil areas should be accepted as Tamil Buddhist temples and that the government should not use its power to label them as Sinhalese.

“The Buddhist temples in the North and East should be accepted as Tamil Buddhist temples. Don’t create conflicts by putting the Sinhalese label using the power of the government. We should create unity among the Sinhalese  and the Tamil people of this country through Buddhist philosophy, “ he said.

Mano Ganesan’s comment comes as the government intensifies the construction of new Buddhist temples and the expansion of existing Buddhist temples as well as the settlement of Sinhalese in those areas in the guise of archaeological excavation in the North and East .

Parliamentarian and former NPC Chief Minister Justice CV Wigneswaran has been consistently emphasising the same point. He had recently told in his parliament speech that the Buddhist archaeological evidences found in the North and East belong to the Tamil Buddhists and that the Tamils jettisoned Buddhism long before the Sinhala language was born.

Below is an excerpt of his speech:

“The government is trying to find out ways and means to take away the rights and assets of  its  citizens  belonging  to  particular groups. It is trying to deprive the lands of these particular group citizens and trying to erase evidences of their culture, heritage and way of life. What else is the reason for the Presidential Commissions empowered to deal with the North and the East? Ad hoc commissions are hurriedly appointed to take over the lands of our community under the pretext of protecting Sinhala Buddhist archaeological remains. Buddhist remains are no doubt there. But the ancient remains are from the time of the Tamil Buddhists- Demala Baudhayos. The Tamils jettisoned Buddhism long before the Sinhala language was born. If you are trying to preserve the remains from the time of the Demala Baudhayos you must have majority Tamil Commissioners in these Commissions. Are you trying to take over lands of the Tamils and give it to the Sinhalese? Is that the purpose of these Commissions? Any steps being taken in the North and East must be with consent and concurrence of the Tamil speaking majority community in the North and East who have continuously occupied those areas for over 3000 years”.