Indian Origin Tamil party to continue its support to Rajapaksa govt

Colombo, Aug 6 (UNI) The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC), a key Indian origin trade union cum Tamil political party, which claimed last week that it has quit the Rajapaksa government, today said it would continue to support the ruling coalition as ''back-benchers.' ''We resigned our ministerial portfolios last week because we were insulted by Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, but we will continue to support the government as back-benchers,'' a senior leader of the party, Muthu Sivalingham told reporters here today.

Basil Rajapaksa is a youger brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and is a powerful figure in the government.

The CWC, which represents over 500,000 Indian-origin plantation workers in the Central Province, opposed Mr Rajapaksa during the Presidential election in November 2005, but joined his government later.

CWC leader Arumugan Thondaman became a cabinet minister while the remaining four members became deputy ministers in the Rajapaksa government last year.

''We have absolutely no problem with President Rajapaksa and are still enjoying a very cordial relationship with him,'' Mr Sivalingham, who just resigned as the deputy minister of Estate Infrastructure Development, said, adding that they always looked forward to working with President Rajapaksa.

Asked whether the party would reconsider its decision and re-assume the lost ministerial portfolios, Mr Sivalingham said the party high command would take an appropriate decision considering the welfare of the plantation people they represent.

''We will not help any opposition forces to bring this government down. That is no our job and there is no question about it,'' he said.

The CWC, on a previous occasion too threatened to withdraw its support to the Rajapaksa government, but later sorted out the differences.

UNI