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C. Suntharalingam

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Honourable
C. Suntharalingam

MP
File:Frist Cabinet of Ceylon.jpg
The first Cabinet of independent Ceylon. Suntharalingam is on the far left.
Minister of Trade and Commerce
In office
1947–1948
Member of the Ceylon Parliament
for Vavuniya
In office
1947–1959
Succeeded byT. Sivasithamparam, Ind
Personal details
Born(1895-08-19)19 August 1895
Died11 February 1985(1985-02-11) (aged 89)
Alma materUniversity of Oxford

Chellappah Suntharalingam (also spelt Chellappah Sundaralingam) was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician, Member of Parliament and government minister. Suntharalingam was one the first proponents of an independent Tamil state.

Early life

Suntharalingam was born on 19 August 19 1895. Suntharalingam studied at the University of Oxford. After graduation he joined the Indian Civil Service but resigned in 1920. He then became Vice Principal of Ananda College, Colombo. Later he became Chair of Mathematics at the Ceylon University College.

Suntharalingam hailed from a distinguished family and had four eminent brothers: C. Nagalingam, a Supreme Court judge, was acting Governor-General of Ceylon in 1954; C. Panchalingam was a medical doctor; C. Amirthalingam was Director of Fisheries; and C. Thiagalingam was a leading lawyer.

Political career

At the 1947 parliamentary election Suntharalingam was elected to represent the Vavuniya in Parliament.[1] He was persuaded to join the United National Party government and on 26 September 1947 he was sworn in as Minister of Trade and Commerce. Suntharalingam walked out of Parliament on 10 December 1948 when the division was called on the second reading of the Indian and Pakistani Residents Citizenship Bill. Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake asked for an explanation but Suntharalingam resigned from his ministerial position.

Suntharalingam resigned from Parliament in 1951 as a protest against the adoption of the Sinhala kodiya (flag) as the national flag. Suntharalingam returned to Parliament following the subsequent by-election which was uncontested.[2] He was subsequently re-elected at the May 1952 parliamentary election.[3] Suntharalingam boycotted Parliament from August 1955 as a protest against the attempts to make Sinhala the sole official language of Ceylon. After three months of absence he forfeited his seat in Parliament. Suntharalingam returned to Parliament following the subsequent by-election.[2] He was subsequently re-elected at the April 1956 parliamentary election.[4]

In 1959 Suntharalingam founded the Eela Thamil Ottrumai Munnani (Unity Front of Eelam Tamils). At the March 1960 parliamentary election Suntharalingam was defeated by T. Sivasithamparam, another independent candidate.[5]

In 1963 Suntharalingam published Eylom: Beginning of the Freedom Struggle; Dozens Documents in which he became one of the first Sri Lankan Tamils to call for an independent Tamil state, which he called Eylom:[6]

I propose to invite those Eyla [Eelath Thamils] Thamils who accept the policy that the time has come for the partition of Ceylon and for the restoration of the Thamil state that existed before the Treaty of Amiens of 1802, to come forward and join the fight for the Freedom and Independence of the Eyla Thamil Nation.

Suntharalingam contested the March 1965 parliamentary election but was again defeated by T. Sivasithamparam.[7] At the May 1970 parliamentary election Suntharalingam contested in Kankesanthurai but was again defeated, this time by S. J. V. Chelvanayakam.[8]

References

  • Bertram, Bastiampillai (20 August 2005). "C. Suntharalingam - reminiscences". Daily News, Sri Lanka.
  • Rajabalan, Raymond (2009). "First Among Us - Part 3A" (PDF). Monsoon Journal. 3 (10): 40–41. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 12: Tryst with independence". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 13: A nightmarish British legacy". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 14: Post-colonial realignment of political forces". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 15: Turbulence in any language". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 16: 'Honorable wounds of war'". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 17: Assassination of Bandaranaike". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  • Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 20 - Tamil leadership lacks perspicuity". SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY.
  1. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1947" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  2. ^ a b "SUMMARY OF BY -ELECTIONS 1947 TO 1988" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  3. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1952" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  4. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1956" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  5. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1960-03-19" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  6. ^ "The Prophesy of Mr. C. Suntheralingham". Ilankai Tamil Sangam.
  7. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1965" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
  8. ^ "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1970" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
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