The Tamil People’s General Council has taken an executive decision to not engage in talks with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The move comes days after the group, named former Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarian Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran as the common Tamil candidate. During the meeting, 14 of its members decided not to engage in talks with Wickremesinghe. The Tamil People's General Council comprises Selvam Adaikalanathan of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), C.V. Wigneswaran of the Tamil Makkal Kootani, D. Siddarthan of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), N. Srikantha of the Tamil Nationalist Party, Suresh Premachandran of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), P. Iyngaranesan of the Tamil Nationalist Pasumai Movement, and S. Venthan of the Democratic Cadres Party.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa met with Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran in Colombo over the weekend. The discussions between them reportedly centered on the current political situation and the issues facing the North and East. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam also participated in the meeting which was held at Sumanthiran’s residence.
During the meeting, Rajapaksa expressed his intention to engage with the ITAK in the future. Rajapaksa mentioned his commitment to addressing grievances in the North and East, emphasizing plans to develop these districts into international trading hubs. According to media reports, he had also expressed his willingness to work with Tamil Parliamentarians from the North-East to improve livelihoods. In response, Sumanthiran indicated that he would present Rajapaksa’s proposals to the TNA’s central committee meeting. He also acknowledged Rajapaksa’s efforts to address the needs of the North and East.
