T. Kurukularajah Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Honourable
T. Kurukularajah
Native Name:தி. குருகுலராஜா
Native Name Lang:ta
Honorific-Suffix:MPC
Office1:Minister of Education, Cultural Affairs and Sports, Northern Province
Term Start1:11 October 2013
Term End1:20 June 2017
Successor1:C. V. Vigneswaran
Office2:Member of the Northern Provincial Council for Kilinochchi District
Term Start2:11 October 2013
Party:Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Otherparty:Tamil National Alliance
Profession:Civil servant
Blank1:Ethnicity
Data1:Sri Lankan Tamil

Thambirajah Kurukularajah (Tamil: தம்பிராசா குருகுலராஜா|translit=Tampirācā Kurukularājā) is a Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant, politician and former provincial minister.

Early life and family

Kurukularajah is the son of Rev. A. C. Thambirajah, a protestant pastor and founder of the Navajeevanam project in Paranthan.[1]

Career

Kurukularajah was director of education for the Kilinochchi Education Zone.[2] [3]

Kurukularajah contested the 2013 provincial council election as one of the Tamil National Alliance's (TNA) candidates in Kilinochchi District and was elected to the Northern Provincial Council (NPC).[4] [5] After the election he was appointed Minister of Education, Cultural Affairs and Sports.[6] [7] He took his oath as minister and provincial councillor in front of Chief Minister C. V. Vigneswaran at Veerasingam Hall on 11 October 2013.[8] [9]

Resignation

Starting in late 2016, several charges of irregular practices were levelled against the four provincial ministers for Northern Province.[10] Chief Minister Vigneswaran appointed a three-member committee consisting of retired judge S. Thiyakenthiran (chair), retired judge S. Paramarajah and retired District Secretary S. Patmanathan to investigate the charges.[11] [12] In June 2017 the NPC was plunged into chaos after Chief Minister Vigneswaran asked Kurukularajah and fellow minister P. Ayngaranesan to resign after the three-member committee found evidence to substantiate charges of corruption, abuse of power and misuse of funds levelled against the two ministers.[13] [14] Kurukularajah had been accused of irregular transfer of teachers by overruling the ministry secretary and causing the deterioration of the standard of education in the province.[15] Vigneswaran also requested that the two other ministers, B. Deniswaran and P. Sathiyalingam, who had been exonerated by the committee, to go on leave.[16] [17]

Kurukularajah denied the charges but decided to temporarily step down as minister on 13 June 2017, conveying his resignation to his party, the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK).[18] However, ITAK leader Mavai Senathirajah refused to accept Kurukularajah's resignation.[19] [20] On 14 June 2017 a motion of no confidence against Vigneswaran was handed to Governor Reginald Cooray by several ITAK and opposition members of the NPC.[21] [22] This resulted in the Tamil People's Council, led by Vigneswaran, organising hartals across Northern Province in support of Vigneswaran.[23] [24]

Following mediation by religious leaders a compromise was agreed between Vigneswaran and the ITAK/TNA leadership on 19 June 2017 whereby Vigneswaran would withdraw the request for Deniswaran and Sathiyalingam to go on leave and in return ITAK would withdraw the motion of no confidence against Vigneswaran.[25] [26] [27] Kurukularajah resigned on 20 June 2017 and was temporarily succeeded by Vigneswaran.[28] [29]

Notes and References

  1. News: Jeyaraj. D. B. S.. TNA's Tussle Over Provincial Ministry Posts in North. 9 July 2017. The Daily Mirror. 5 October 2013. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  2. News: Monsoon rains imminent; Govt. officials struggle with refugees. 9 July 2017. The Sunday Times. 12 October 2008. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  3. News: 26,000 students displaced. 9 July 2017. BBC Sinhala. 12 October 2008.
  4. PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications PROVINCIAL COUNCILS ELECTIONS ACT, No. 2 OF 1988 Northern Province Provincial Council. 25 September 2013. The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Extraordinary. 1829/33. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  5. News: PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2013 – Results and preferential votes: Northern Province. The Daily Mirror. 26 September 2013. Colombo, Sri Lanka. https://web.archive.org/web/20131002221205/http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/infographics/36078-provincial-council-elections-2013--results-and-preferential-votes-northern-province.html. 2 October 2013.
  6. News: ITAK announces NPC ministers, EPRLF challenges. 9 July 2017. TamilNet. 10 October 2013.
  7. News: Sri Lanka's first Tamil CM announces Cabinet. https://web.archive.org/web/20131023133757/http://newindianexpress.com/world/Sri-Lankas-first-Tamil-CM-announces-Cabinet/2013/10/10/article1829560.ece. dead. 23 October 2013. 9 July 2017. The New Indian Express/Press Trust of India. 10 October 2013. Chennai, India.
  8. News: NPC members take oath in Jaffna after honouring fallen Tamil Heroes. 9 July 2017. TamilNet. 11 October 2013.
  9. News: Northern Provincial Council TNA members take oaths. The Sunday Times. 11 October 2013. Colombo, Sri Lanka. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131014080431/http://www.sundaytimes.lk/latest/38525-northern-provincial-council-tna-members-take-oaths.html. 14 October 2013.
  10. News: Balachandran. P. K.. Charges against Northern Province Ministers signal shift in Sri Lankan Tamil politics. 9 July 2017. NewsIn.Asia. 14 June 2017.
  11. News: Ayub. M. S. M.. Wigneswaran 's anti-corruption drive eclipsed by sectarian politics. 9 July 2017. The Daily Mirror. 16 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  12. News: Heads to Roll at NPC?. 9 July 2017. The Nation. 10 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  13. News: No confidence motion against Sri Lanka's Northern province CM. 9 July 2017. The New Indian Express/Press Trust of India. 15 June 2017. Chennai, India.
  14. News: Thangarasa. Sumithi. Wigneswaran calls for the resignation of two Provincial Ministers. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 14 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  15. News: Palakidnar. Ananth. Fresh crisis rocks NPC Call for removal of two Ministers. 9 July 2017. Ceylon Today. 13 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  16. News: Srinivasan. Meera. 'No confidence' in CM Wigneswaran. 9 July 2017. The Hindu. 15 June 2017. Chennai, India.
  17. News: Kamalendran. Chris. TNA, Wigneswaran in battle for North. 9 July 2017. The Sunday Times. 18 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  18. News: NPC minister resigns to facilitate corruption probe against him. 9 July 2017. The Sunday Times. 11 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  19. News: Nafeel. Nushka. Mavai refuses to accept resignation letter of NPC minister. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 13 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  20. News: Suriyaarachchi. Binoy. ITAK refuses to accept Kurukularaja's resignation?. 9 July 2017. Ada Derana. 12 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  21. News: Thangarasa. Sumithi. No Confidence Motion against Wigneswaran. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 15 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  22. News: 21 Northern Provincial councillors declare no-confidence in Chief Minister. 9 July 2017. Tamil Guardian. 14 June 2017.
  23. News: Hartal in Jaffna in protest of attempts to oust Chief Minister Wigneswaran. 9 July 2017. Tamil Guardian. 16 June 2017.
  24. News: Imtiaz. Zahrah. Confidence on Wiggie: TNA split. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 17 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  25. News: Srinivasan. Meera. Uncertainty ends in Sri Lanka's Northern Province. 9 July 2017. The Hindu. 19 June 2017. Chennai, India.
  26. News: NPC cools down. 9 July 2017. The Island. 20 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  27. News: Imtiaz. Zahrah. ITAK withdraws petition of no-confidence Wiggie and Sam call it even. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 20 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  28. News: Two NPC ministers found guilty resign. 9 July 2017. Daily News. 21 June 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  29. Web site: Northern Province CM Justice C.V.Wigneswaran was sworn in as Acting Minister for the sectors of Education and Agriculture. Northern Provincial Council. 9 July 2017. Jaffna, Sri Lanka. 23 June 2017.

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