started resorting to violence. Chelvanayakam, who still commanded respect among Tamil youth, urged them to renounce violence and continue with their education. Following the 1971 JVP insurrection the United Front started implementing policies aimed at the causes of the insurrection but which further discriminated against Tamils. Jobs and land in the newly nationalised plantations were given to Sinhala youth, to the exclusion of Tamils. Chelvanayakam labelled the nationalisation "highway robbery". The policy of standardisation replaced the merit based system for university entrance with one based on ethnicity, discriminating against Tamil youths. Using its large majority in Parliament, the United Front government started the process of replacing the "British imposed" Soulbury Constitution. The government's proposed new constitution was seen as a Sinhala-Buddhist document by ITAK which mobilised Tamil public support against it. The proposals to constitutionally enshrine Sinhala as the sole official language, give special provision for Buddhism and repeal the protection for minorities particularly alarmed ITAK. ITAK believed that if Tamils did not participate in the constitution setting process they could demand self determination and a revert to the pre-British structures which existed before 1833. On 7 February 1971 Tamil parties held an all-party conference in Valvettithurai at which they issued a six-point memorandum of demands on regional autonomy, language rights, colonisation, employment discrimination and citizenship for Indian Tamils. The government rejected the demands and refused to invite the ITAK MPs to give evidence before the constituent assembly. Chelvanayakam vowed to resume civic protests and in February 1972, while visiting Madras, declared that ITAK would launch a non-violent struggle to agitate for a separate state. Tamil United Front There was growing resentment amongst Tamils at the monopolisation of political and economic power by the Sinhalese. As a result, Tamil parties started coming together and on 14 May 1972 the ITAK, ACTC, Ceylon Workers' Congress, Eelath Thamilar Otrumai Munnani and All Ceylon Tamil Conference met in Trincomalee and formed the Tamil United Front (TUF) with Chelvanayakam as its president. The TUF MPs boycotted the ceremonial opening of the National State Assembly (NSA) on 22 May 1972, the day the new constitution was promulgated. In October 1972 Chelvanayakam informed the NSA that he was resigning his parliamentary seat and would seek re-election on the issue of the new constitution which he claimed had been rejected by the Tamils. The government delayed holding a by-election in Chelvanayakam's constituency, citing the possibility of violence,