Three TNA delegation memebers — Mavai Senathirajah, Pon Selvarajah and Selvan Adaikkalanathan — returned to Colombo while others proceeded to Chennai. Adaikkalanathan thereafter returned to Chennai to join the others. Senathirajah, currently General Secretary, is tipped to become leader of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK). They are the principal partner in the TNA and the alliance is recognised officially by the Commissioner of Elections under the ITAK label.
There are two aspirants for the ITAK General Secretary’s post. Vying for the post are Pon Selvarajah and Krishnapillai Thurairajasingham, Deputy Secretary and a member of the Eastern Provincial Council. He was a former MP.
In Tamil Nadu, Sampanthan held a closed door meeting with BJP leaders in the southern Indian state, at their local headquarters. It was chaired by Pon Radhakrishnan, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in the Modi Government. Dr. Tamilisai Sounderarajan, the head of Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP, Ila Ganeshan, a local BJP leader and National Council member, M. Chakravarty, Vice President, BJP Tamil Nadu and Vanathi Srinivasan, State Secretary, BJP were among those who took part. The BJP is looking to make inroads in the south of India having swept the north in recent parliamentary elections. As a first step it is seeking to make a major push at the scheduled 2016 state assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and mount a challenge to Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK.
At a largely attended news conference, televised live by some TV channels, Sampanthan fielded questions. Here are a few among the questions he faced and the answers he gave:
On the first step Premier Modi should take: “He has already taken the first step. There is no leader in the world who had acted on an external issue within 24 hours of assuming office. During talks with President Rajapaksa, he looked in his eyes and asked him to implement what he promised India in the last five years”.
On the absence of Sri Lanka Government representatives at his talks with Indian leaders: “I have met several Indian Prime Ministers. No such representatives were present then”.
The role of BJP parliamentarian Dr. Subramanian Swamy: “He is absolutely entitled to his views. I have been told officially at the highest levels of the BJP as well as the Government of India, no less than the Prime Minister included, the official position. I leave it for you to decide”.
On the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces: “We are for the merger. The Supreme Court verdict that led to the de merger was not on the grounds that a merger was not possible. They held there were procedural errors”.
On the transformation taking place in the North: “Before the NPC polls in September last year, then India’s National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon visited Sri Lanka. He raised issue with President Rajapaksa about matters relating to this, particularly those being carried out by a Government dignitary. He cautioned that if such things happened, there would be serious consequences. President Rajapaksa assured he will go into the matter. He also called me to discuss it”.
Courtesy:Sunday Times