President reprimands Thonda for meeting Sonia
Thursday, 13 June 2013 
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has badly reprimanded Livestock Development Minister Arumugam Thondaman on the 10th for meeting with Congress Party Leader Sonia Gandhi during his recent visit to India.Minister Thondaman had met with Sonia Gandhi in India with Deputy Minister of State P. Narayanswamy on Friday. A group of CWC representatives had also participated in the discussion. Deputy Minister Muttu Sivalingam, Provincial Councilor P. Rajadhoray and former Provincial CouncilorYuvaraj and Anusha Sivaraj had been at the meeting. Narayanswamy accompanied Sonia Gandhi in the discussion.
During the discussion Sonia Gandhi had criticized the government’s failure to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that was designed under the Indo-Lanka Accord to devolve power to the provinces through the provincial council system. She had said that the Indian government would put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to implement the Indo-Lanka Accord signed by her husband, Rajiv Gandhi.
Thondaman had also spoken in support of Sonia Gandhi’s stance.
Thondaman had promised Sonia Gandhi that he too would take the lead in the struggle to ensure that police and land powers are devolved to the provinces according to the 13th Amendment. However, Thondaman had requested representatives of the party who participated in the discussion and Narayanswamy not to divulge details of the discussion to the media.
Nevertheless, while the CWC members refrained from making any statements to the media about the discussion, Sudar Oli newspaper had contacted Narayanswamy and inquired about the discussion. He had revealed details of the discussion to the newspaper. Disturbed by the news report, Minister Douglas Devananda had taken it along with a translation to the President and asked how other Tamil parties could remain silent when Thondaman behaved in this manner. Devananda had criticized Thondaman’s actions to the President.
The President had immediately telephoned Thondaman and reprimanded him in filth and shouted that he would not work according to India’s agenda and that Italian women cannot decide on Sri Lanka.
The President had then shouted saying, “You better choose between India and Sri Lanka. I will release details of all you and your mistress.” The President had referred to one of the Minister’s female advisors, Rupa Magandhi Ram Mohan in this manner.
The Sri Lankan government had black listed Rupa Magandhi Ram Mohan for playing out US$ 4.2 million from a computer project at the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB). Thondaman at the time was the Minister of Water Supply and Drainage.
A resident of Hyderabad, she had then joined the Thondaman Foundation and taken millions of rupees from the Treasury after setting up two NGOS called Praja Shakthi and Nava Shakthi.
However, after the corruption that took place at the NWSDB was cast aside, Thondaman appointed her as an advisor.
Rupa Magandhi Ram Mohan is currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital in New York and Thondaman had sent US$ 50,000 to cover her hospital bills. The monies were sent to New York through Undiyal.
Although Thondaman had tried to meet with Indian premier Manmohan Singh during his visit to India, the Indian High Commission in Colombo had prevented it saying it was against diplomatic protocol.
