Tamil leaders should raise concerns with President Rajapaksa, not PM Modi: Lankan Minister

Colombo, Jan 19 (UNI) Sri Lankan Minister Udaya Gammanpila said on Wednesday that if parties representing the Tamil-speaking population in the country have any concerns they must raise them with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, instead of seeking the assistance of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His comments came a day after seven Tamil political party leaders sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, jointly signed by them, and handed over to the Indian High Commission of Sri Lanka.
Gammanpila, who is also Co-Cabinet Spokesman, said: “If our Tamil parties have any concerns or worries, they should raise them with our President, instead of the Indian Prime Minister, as we are a sovereign country, and not part of the Union of India.”
He made the comments at the cabinet decisions press briefing, in response to a question raised by the media.
The letter by the Tamil parties focuses on requesting that the Indian Government urge the Government of Sri Lanka to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (13A), which calls for devolution of powers to the Tamil-majority province. The letter was reportedly handed over to Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on January 18 by a delegation led by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader and Parliamentarian R. Sampanthan, themorning.lk said.
Addressing the same press briefing, Co-Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana claimed that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution has been “fully implemented”.
The letter notes that: “Since Sri Lanka gained Independence in 1948, the Tamil speaking people have been demanding meaningful power sharing from all the successive Governments that came to power. The political leadership of the Tamil-speaking people wanted a solution in accordance with internationally accepted principles recognising their legitimate aspirations. Although many attempts were made to find a solution internally as well as with the assistance of the international community, the Tamil speaking people’s national question remains unresolved to date. We remain committed to a political solution based on a federal structure that recognises our legitimate aspirations.”
In his policy statement to the Parliament on Tuesday, President Rajapaksa urged MPs representing the Northern and Eastern areas to set aside various political ideologies, and to support the Government’s efforts to improve the living conditions of the people in the said areas.
However, news reports show that TNA Spokesman President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran has criticised this statement, adding that the President’s speech had not mentioned any meaningful statement about the national issue.
The letter was signed by Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani Leader and MP C.V. Wigneswaran, Sampanthan, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi Leader Mavai Senathirajah, Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation Leader A. Adaikkalanathan, Democratic People’s Liberation Front President Dharmalingam Sithadthan, Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front President K. Premachandran, and Tamil National Party Leader N. Srikantha.
The discussions relating to the letter initially involved the Tamil Progressive Alliance representing mostly Tamils of Indian origin in the upcountry areas, the All Ceylon Makkal Congress, and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. However, these parties did not sign the final letter owing to differences amongst priorities between the parties.
India has pressed Sri Lanka for the devolution of powers to the provinces under the 13th Amendment (13A) of the Sri Lankan Constitution.