India's National Security Advisor encourages Tamils to vote for Sinhala candidate

by admin
Sep 4, 2024

Ajith Doval, India's National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly encouraged Tamil political parties to back a Sinhala candidate, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

Ajith Doval, India's National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly encouraged Tamil political parties to back a Sinhala candidate, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

During his visit to Colombo, Doval met with Tamil parliamentarians and discussed the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential elections. According to the Sunday Times, Doval “told them they should not “waste the votes of the Tamil people” and try to negotiate with a candidate who could win and secure the aspirations of the Tamil people through talks”.

Participants in these discussions included former MP Mavai Senathirajah; MPs S Sritharan and M A Sumanthiran of the Ilankai Arasu Tamil Katchi (ITAK); Selvam Adaikalanathan, MP and leader of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF); Dharmalingam Siddhartan, MP and leader of the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE); and Selvarajah Kajendren, MP of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF).

His reported remarks come as Sri Lanka’s presidential polls approach and calls for Tamils to either boycott the polls or vote for Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanenthiran, a candidate who has been endorsed by a coalition of Tamil political parties and civil society organisations. The ITAK this week has been the sole Tamil political party to endorse a Sinhala candidate, calling for the backing of Sajith Premadasa.

The meeting reportedly focused on finding a political solution for the Tamil community and the implications of the current presidential election.

Selvarajah Kajendren expressed to Doval that after 75 years, it is evident that the Tamil community cannot prosper under a unitary system, stating that the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution has been a complete failure and does not offer a viable path forward for Tamils. Kajendren rejected both the 13th Amendment and the 2015 draft constitution, which also upholds a unitary state structure, urging India to support the establishment of a federal system that provides self-determination for Tamils in the North-East. Doval advised that unity and a strategic use of the Tamil vote would be the most constructive approach.

Doval also met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, and Maldives' National Security Advisor Ibrahim Latheef. He also engaged with various political figures, including the Leader of the Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya's Sajith Premadasa, National People's Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

 

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