A section of TNA coming forward to support Sarath Fonseka : The rift widens within the outfit
The Tamil National Alliance leadership has summoned the Parliamentary Group meeting tomorrow to finalize on their support to Sarath Fonseka in the forthcoming Presidential Election, it is learnt.
Asian Tribune reliably learnt that yesterday night R. Sampanthan, TNA Parliamentary Group Leader, Mavai Senathirajah Deputy Leader and Suresh Premachanthiran the Parliamentary Group whip were having discussion with Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the United National Party.
Furthermore, Asian Tribune learnt that the SMS leadership of the TNA were to meet later with General Sarath Fonseka too, to finalize their deal.
It was not clear whether they had any discussion with Sarath Fonseka.
When Asian Tribune contacted the deputy leader Mavai Senathirajah, he excused himself as he was with some officials. Sampanthan and Suresh Premachanthiran were not available for clarification.
In the meantime, many TNA parliamentarians have informed that they will not be available for the group meeting tomorrow as it was being arranged on a very short notice.
It is unclear what sort of an understanding TNA leadership has reached with Sarath Fonseka, to come up with a proposal to discuss tomorrow in the Parliamentary group meeting.
If in case the TNA leadership has finalized anything with Sarath Fonseka, will they come up publicly with the written agreement they have entered with Sarath Fonseka?
Also will they be in a position to spell out the terms and conditions agreed upon with someone who takes pride in decimating LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, his family and all the topnotch leadership of the LTTE which was instrumental in organizing the TNA as a proxy political outfit of the LTTE.
In the meantime it is learnt that the boycott lobby spearheaded by TNA parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnabalam backed by another six MPs including himself and Jayananthamurthy who is presently on self-exile in London are reviewing their position regarding their stance despite pressure being excreted by the SMS leadership which intends to support Sarath Fonseka.
It is learnt that some supporters of the TNA who are unhappy with the political stance of the SMS leadership of TNA, and it is learnt that an understanding is emerging slowly between the boycott group and the Sivagilingham supporters.
But Asian Tribune learnt that M.K. Sivajilingham and N. Srikantha are keen on enlisting the support of those who backed the proposal of TNA feeding a candidate at the last Parliamentary group meeting.
The latest TNA’s position, Parliamentarians pulling apart, there is every possibility of a show down between pro-Foneska backers and the rest.
Though the TELO has not made any official pronouncement of supporting Sivajilingham, the leaders of TELO, contesting the election according to some reports the other two TELO parliamentarians Selvam Adaikalnathan and Vino Noha Rathalingham also the other leaders of the TELO would come out openly to support Sivajilingham towards the tail end of the campaign.
Asian Tribune learnt that there is also another four MPs of the TNA, who would endorse the candidature of Sivajilingham at one stage or other.
Interestingly at the weekly Sakthi TV’s minnal program, Srikantha the TNA MP who proposed Sivajilingham has lashed out at both Mahinda Rajapakse and Sarath Foneska for failing to have taken a clear stance on the ethnic question. He has asserted that TNA under no circumstances should support either of them.
“ It is a power struggle that is going on between the Sinhalese leadership and as an oppressed nation, the Tamils have no role in that”, he mentioned.
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