Tamil minister8217;s death a blow to Kumaratunga

COLOMBO, OCT 31: Sauvmiyamoorthy Thondaman, Sri Lanka's senior-most politician, union leader of the country's predominantly Tamil tea lab...

COLOMBO, OCT 31: Sauvmiyamoorthy Thondaman, Sri Lanka8217;s senior-most politician, union leader of the country8217;s predominantly Tamil tea labourers, political ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and friend of India, died on Saturday after a heart attack at the age of 86.

He died in a hospital here after being air-lifted from the central hill district of Nuwara Eliya earlier in the day. His body is being taken to Hatton, his political stronghold in the tea district of Sri Lanka, in preparation for the funeral.

The septuagenarian Tamil leader would be accorded a state funeral on Thursday, the official media said today.

At the time of his death, he was minister of Livestock Development and Estate Infrastructure. His death is a blow to President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is seeking re-election in the December 21 presidential election.

While a large section of estate voters had voted with the opposition United National Party at the provincial and local authority elections, the ruling Peoples Alliance PAexpected Thondaman to deliver at least 40 per cent of the plantation sector votes to Kumaratunga.

However, quoting government sources media reports said with the death of Thondaman, the PA will not bale to count on any other member of the CWC to deliver that vote to Kumaratunga.

Meanwhile, CWC is expected to face a severe power struggle in the party which in all probability will lead to a split before the elections. While Thondaman8217;s grandson Arumugam Thondaman was groomed as a possible successor, a strong group within the party was opposed to his succession.

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Thondaman had pledged his support to the President immediately after the announcement of the Presidential poll. The 87-year old plantation workers8217; leader, who won citizenship for nearly 50,000 plantation workers of Indian origin, passed away last night.

For over six decades he dominated the political life of this island nation.Thondaman built the Ceylon Workers Congress into the most powerful trade union with a half million membership. Since1977 he has been a cabinet minister in successive administrations.