Backing Premadasa is a ‘betrayal’ of the Tamil people - Interview with Shritharan

by admin
Sep 6, 2024

“The decision by members of the central committee of ITAK to support Sajith Premadasa in the upcoming presidential election without any guarantee regarding a resolution to the Tamil issue is condemnable,” said S Shritharan, Member of Parliament and the leader-elect of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) to the Tamil Guardian in an interview this week, labelling the move a “betrayal”.

“The decision by members of the central committee of ITAK to support Sajith Premadasa in the upcoming presidential election without any guarantee regarding a resolution to the Tamil issue is condemnable,” said S Shritharan, Member of Parliament and the leader-elect of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) to the Tamil Guardian in an interview this week, labelling the move a “betrayal”.

“This is yet another betrayal by some within the ITAK against the Tamil people,” said Shritharan, who is currently in London.

His remarks were made in the wake of an emergency meeting of the ITAK central committee, convened by MP M A Sumanthiran, which took place in his absence and without the interim party leader Mavai Senathirajah. The committee decided to back Premadasa in this month’s presidential polls.

“Despite me, the new leader of ITAK, not being in the country, and the interim leader of the ITAK, Mavai Senathirajah, not attending the meeting, some within the party have made arbitrary decisions,” said Shritharan. “This is highly condemnable and against Tamil interests.”

“No president elected from the South has ever taken any constructive decision on the Tamil people's issues. The Tamil people have been fighting for their rights for over 70 years.”

“We, who fought for a separate state, are now asking for a solution based on autonomy where we can govern ourselves. With this in mind, Tamil parties had collectively fielded a common candidate, Ariyanethiran, in the upcoming presidential election.”

“In this situation, the actions of some within the ITAK against the Tamil candidate are against Tamil interests. In the ITAK meeting held last July, it was decided that the party would reconvene and discuss whether to support a Sinhala presidential candidate who takes a firm stance on the Tamil issue.”

“However, despite my stance in support of the common Tamil candidate being announced, a few have made this decision with the backing of some who favour them.”

“When I return to the country, I will be looking into how this meeting took this decision without any leadership input, and I will campaign on behalf of the ITAK for the common Tamil candidate, Ariyanethiran,” said Shritharan. “No one can prevent that.”

The decision taken by the ITAK central committee highlighted the splits and turmoil within the already troubled Tamil political party.

Read more here: ITAK plunges further into chaos as central committee backs Sajith Premadasa

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