TNA Spokesperson, Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran, told Ceylon Today the meeting between the Leftists, who are also the Cabinet Ministers in the UPFA Government, was an encouraging sign in the backdrop where several elements are vehemently opposing the 13th Amendment which was introduced to address political grievances of the Tamils in the North and East. “The three ministers, who are well-known to have a broader outlook when it comes to minority issues, said the 13th Amendment should not be weakened and the Northern Provincial Council polls should be conducted in a manner without destabilizing the amendment. They also expressed their concerns about the land acquisition issues in the North and East,” Premachandran said. The ministers were also of the view that land and police powers should not be stripped off the 13th Amendment, Premachandran said. “They also said the Northern Provincial Council polls should be conducted without any delay, in order to address the political aspirations of the people in the North and East,” he added. Premachandran, also commenting on a comment made by Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, that police powers should not be given to the North and East, said without police and land powers the Northern Provincial Council would be meaningless. “Several aspects, including the merger of the North and East, have been removed from the 13th Amendment and the removal of powers further from the amendment will make it meaningless. It is too early to say how the TNA would respond if those powers are removed,” he added. |