Chelva – Patriarch Of Tamil Nation: Betrayal Of His Legacy 

By Karikalan S. Navaratnam –APRIL 26, 2018

Karikalan S. Navaratnam

S.J.V. Chelvanayakam’s 41st Death Anniversary falls on 26 April 2018

Mr. S.J.V. Chelvanayakam (Chelva) was born in Ipoh, Malaya (now, Malaysia) on 31st March 1898. He passed away on 26th April 1977. He has been adored as the father-figure of the Tamil nationalist struggle  and endearingly referred to as  “Thanthai  Chelva”. The antics and adventurism of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) notwithstanding, Chelva’s political ideology remains the bedrock of Tamil aspirations and agenda. From his eternal abode, he continues to inspire his faithful  flock. 

Chelva entered Parliament in 1947 as a member of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), led by Mr. G.G. Ponnambalam. The ethnocentric Sinhala political leadership has been adept at practising trickery and treachery, vis-à-vis Tamil people. Thus, through solemn promises and sweet-talks, they had beguiled Tamil leaders and enlisted their support to gain Independence. Shortly after attaining independence, UNP government’s maiden legislative enterprise was to de-citizenize and render stateless almost 1 million upcountry Tamils and, further, to disenfranchise them. It was an atrocious double whammy.  

Chelvanayakam

Double Whammy!

Both, the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948 and Ceylon Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Act of 1949 had eminently accomplished D.S. Senanayake’s malevolent mission. Indeed, it was only the first step in the process of blotting out the Tamil element from the body politic of the country. As a result, seven Tamil M.P.s representing the upcountry Tamils lost their seats overnight. ACTC became an appendage of the  UNP. When its leader accepted a ministry, joined the D.S. Senanayake government and voted for the pernicious legislation, Chelva together with his colleagues Mr. C.Vanniasingam (Kopay M.P.) and Dr. E.M.V. Naganathan (then, a Senator) took a principled stand, voted against the legislation and quit the ACTC. Denouncing the treachery, Chelva admonished the Tamils: “Those of you who have a clear vision may foresee. If we do not resist and defeat this attack on the plantation Tamils, the next attack will be on the Tamils of the North-East provinces”. Prophetic words, indeed!

Federal Party – ITAK

On 18 Dec. 1949, the ACTC dissidents led by Chelva formed the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK). The dominant feature of ITAK agenda was the establishment of a linguistic Tamil State, comprising the North-East Provinces within a Federal Union of Ceylon. Hence, the ITAK was a.k.a. the Federal Party (FP). Sinhala leadership had, ab initio, ensured that riddance of the British Raj was in effect synonymous with the establishment of Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony. Ultra-nationalist measures were introduced to synchronize with the dawn of the so-called independence. “National” anthem was adopted arbitrarily without consulting the minorities. An Advisory Committee was appointed to form ulate a National Flag for Independent Ceylon. Even before the Committee could reach any finality on the Flag by 4th Feb. 1948 for the 1st ‘Independence’ Day celebrations, Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake hoisted the Kandyan king’s Lion Flag at the Independence  celebration held in Kandy on 12th Feb. 1948. 

Lion  Flag

Chelva criticised the “medieval conception of nationality” prevalent among Sinhalese, who “propose to have the Lion Flag unaltered, as the main portion of the flag. Outside its pale, there are certain markings to indicate the tolerated presence in this country of Tamil and Muslim people“. Dr N M Perera, M.P. denounced the flag as a “fraud…perpetrated on the minorities. They [Sinhalese] are going to have the Lion Flag and these stripes are purely for the outcasts” (Hansard, Vol 9, 1951:1565-1684). 

Servile solidarity

Lion flag was adopted as the national flag in 1951 in the face of series of protest meetings in North-East Provinces. Far from inspiring the young Tamils, fluttering Lion Flag has been an aggravating provocation like waving a red flag at a bull. The martyrdom of a young man, Nadarajan, of Trincomalee many moons ago  would epitomize the emotional reaction of the Tamils. On an “Independence” Day – observed by the Tamils as a “Black Day”- Nadarajan climbed the clock tower and tried to replace the Lion Flag flying from atop with a black flag. He was shot and fatally wounded by the police. Nadarajan crashed to the ground dead.

Let me juxtapose another scenario  presenting perfidious  TNA theatrics – contrasting sharply with Chelva’s  avowed articles of faith. On 1st May 2012, at the UNP May Day rally in Jaffna,  Trincomalee M.P. and TNA supremo Mr. Sampanthan was seen gleefully waving the Lion Flag jointly with Ranil Wicremesinghe, in a show of servile solidarity. His exculpatory explanation was that FP (ITAK) never opposed the Lion Flag.  Perhaps, Sampanthan had not yet read the first chapter of  FP history !

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