What is majoritarianism? How has it increased the feelings of alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils? Explain with examples.
‘Majoritarianism’ refers to the policy of domination over the minority, just by virtue of being in the majority.

In Sri Lanka, it has led to feelings of alienation among the Tamils. They feel that none of the major political parties, led by Buddhist Sinhala leaders, are sensitive to their language and culture. According to them, the Constitution and government policies have denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities, and ignored their interests.

This alienation among the Tamils is due to the following reasons:

• In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.

• The government framed policies favouring Sinhala people for government jobs.

• The new Constitution specifies that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.