Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader, R. Sampanthan yesterday threw down a challenge to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, demanding for the latter to abolish the executive presidential system, claiming the TNA had given up the demand for Eelam, reports Ceylon Today.
The TNA leader has said that his Party and all Tamil political leaders and the majority of the Tamil Diaspora had given up the concept of Eelam.
Sampanthan was responding to the demand made by the President in Kilinochchi last week, where the Head of State said, if the TNA and the Tamil Diaspora gave up the demand for Eelam he would abolish the executive presidential system.
The TNA leader further said he regretted the statement made by the President, who was aware that the TNA never spoke of Eelam. “We contested Local Government, Provincial and Parliamentary Elections and won, presenting our policies and manifestoes. “There is no reference to dividing this country in those documents. We called for devolution of powers under a united country and such stand had been made known even to Parliament,” he had added.
“We have given up Eelam. Now the President must abolish the executive system,” Sampanthan had said.