TNA tells Govt. to resolve 13-A among its allies

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday urged the government to resolve the issues pertaining to the Northern Provincial Council elections and power devolution because of the contrasting views expressed by some of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) allies.


TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachanadran said it was up to the government to resolve the issue among its allies because it was the present regime, which appointed the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) to propose ways of resolving the national question.

He said several constituent parties of the ruling UPFA Government were coming out with various views on the provincial councils and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Premachandra said contrasting views were even being expressed by public servants who had no right to do so.

Referring to the police and land powers, he said these had only been partly devolved and that’s why the respective governments had come up with so many proposals from time to time. He recalled that late President Ranasinghe Premadasa appointed the Mangala Munasinghe Commission, while former President Chandrika Kumratunga came up with a package and the present regime appointed the APRC as they all knew that questions with regard to provincial councils had not been fully resolved. He said it was time to go beyond the 13th Amendment.

Mr. Premachandran said the TNA supported a fully-fledged power devolution process and therefore it was up to the government to decide its next course of action