The Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) will remain a constituent of both the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Tamil People’s Council (TPC).
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the EPRLF’s central committee which was presided by Suresh Premachandran, the party’s leader, in Vavuniya of the Northern Province.
One of the council’s key figures
Mr. Premachandran, who was the spokesperson of the TNA’s parliamentary party till August, is one of the key figures of the TPC, which is headed by Chief Minister of the Northern Province C.V. Wigneswaran along with two others. After the EPRLF leader’s defeat in the August parliamentary elections, there were reports that the TNA might make him MP through the national list but his name did not figure in the list.
Activities under scanner?
Tuesday’s development comes at a time when the TNA leadership is said to be following activities of the TPC.
Even though TNA’s chief R. Sampanthan has not openly disapproved the TPC’s formation, he is of the view that when efforts are on to find a solution to the Tamil question, no Tamil party or group should do anything that will eventually provoke elements, claiming to represent the interests of Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalists, to derail the entire process.
Tamil National Council not yet
A press release issued by the EPRLF said that even though the party, in July 2014, mooted the idea of forming a Tamil National Council and had handed over its resolution to Mr. Sampanthan and leaders of other constituents of the TNA, no action was taken by the Alliance’s chief. Justifying its decision to join the TPC, the EPRLF said this was done with a view to mobilising people beyond politics. It did not mean that the EPRLF had quit the TNA, the statement added.
