Nearly 200,000 Telungu people pledge support for Mahinda - Minister of Justice

"NEARLY 200,000 Telungu people live in Sri Lanka as citizens of this country. These people have decided to support the UPFA Presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse. This is an example to the other communities" said Minister of Justice and Judicial Reforms W.D.J. Seneviratne.

This was said at the rally held at Y.M.B.A. Borella, in support of the Presidential candidate of the People's Alliance coalition which was organized by The All Ceylon Telungu Congress.

"Our President Chandrika Bandaranaike has accepted at first there is an ethnic problem. We have tried our best to grant the rights of the minority from 1994. Thonadman was the Minister in the 17 years UNP Government, but he could not solve the problems of the estate people.

The UPFA Government has established a separate Ministry as Estate Infrastructure and Community Development for the people in the estate.

Minister Seneviratne said that we have built new hospitals to improve the health condition of the estate people.

It is a mighty strength for us because the people of Telungu origin in Sri Lanka have come forward to support our Presidential candidate. Telungu people have come here for business from Andra Pradesh, India and have now become citizens of our country.

We have studied the problems of the Telungu people and are expecting to solve their unemployment problem in the future.

Under the rule of the new President Mahinda rajapakse every community in the country will be able to live peacefully. All Ceylon Telungu Congress President M. Anbalagum and several others also spoke.