Tamils in the north have strongly objected to a leading footwear manufacturer for having used a design with their national flower.
The design shows glory lilies (karthikai in Tamil and niyangala in Sinhala) printed on footwear produced by the company.
Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) spokesman Kanagaratnam Sugash has demanded the company recall the products, or face a boycott.
Sugash also urged Tamils to boycott the company's products if the design is not withdrawn.
Former north minister P. Iyangaraneshan, speaking to the media in Jaffna yesterday (28), claimed it meant to be suppressing the Tamil people.
Tamil websites reported these footwears were sold in the Tamil-predominant Wellawatte area in Colombo.
On the other hand, there had been instances in the past where Tamils in the northeast had been questioned for the use of this flower in their war-dead remembrance decorations.
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