SL leader seeks amendment help
Sri Lanka’s Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan met Tamil Nadu BJP chief Pon Radhakrishnan in Chennai on Tuesday, to canvass for the party’s support in pressing for the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. The Sri Lankan veteran said his trip to India would see him reach out to parties in Tamil Nadu to raise support. “We need the support of all political parties to ensure implementation of the 13th Amendment and also to improve the lives of Sri Lankan Tamils,” said Sampanthan, adding that he would also attempt to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in this regard.
Sampanthan’s trip to India gains significance in light of the TNA’s resounding victory in the recently held landmark elections to the Northern Provincial Council. The TNA campaigned on a platform of fighting for the rights of Tamils within a united Sri Lanka.
Sampanthan did not specify which political party leaders he would meet, but speculation is rife because a number of parties had interpreted the TNA victory as a renewed call for a separate Tamil Eelam.