Colombo, January 7 (AIR): The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on Tuesday urged Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to take steps to fully settle the Tamil National issue and continue with the process initiated by the former government to draft a new constitution.
Speaking in Parliament, TNA MP, M.A. Sumanthiran, said that successive governments including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s, had assured that the Tamil national issue will be politically resolved by means of greater devolution.
Sumathiran said the assurance given to India on at least three occasions was to implement the thirteenth amendment in full and build upon it so as to achieve meaningful devolution including the full implementation of Tamil as an official language.
The MP asserted that the Tamil minority is ready and willing to settle the national question on the basis of a united, undivided, & indivisible country that recognizes the diversity & equality of its different people.
His comments came as the Lankan President said that certain areas of the 13th amendment of the constitution cannot be implemented and called for politicians to look at alternative solutions.
He has expressed his reservation son devolving of police and land powers which are part of the amendment.
The 13th amendment was brought up as part of Indo-Sri Lanka accord in 1987 and provincial councils were set up as part of devolution of powers, to meet the aspirations of Tamil minorities.