During his two-day visit to Sri Lanka, Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan held discussions with government leaders as well as leaders of Tamil political parties from the North, East, and the Hill Country. This marks the first time an Indian Vice President has conducted bilateral talks with the Sri Lankan government and deliberated on the ethnic issue with Tamil parties.
In the discussions held with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, it is reported that they explored strengthening cooperation between the two nations across various sectors. Specifically, they emphasized the necessity of advancing projects without delay, including the plan to establish an ‘Energy Hub’ in Trincomalee.
During their meetings, leaders of the Northern, Eastern, and Hill Country Tamil parties, as is customary, requested Indian assistance to find solutions to the problems facing their respective communities.
“We informed him that the 1987 Peace Accord was never fully realized. Even the 13th Amendment to the Constitution has not been fully implemented. Regardless of which government is in power in either country, the agreement must be fulfilled. We conveyed that this should be achieved through an arrangement based on a Federal system with irreversible powers,” stated M. A. Sumanthiran, General Secretary of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), following the meeting with the Indian Vice President.
Reports emerged that Radhakrishnan informed the Tamil party leaders that New Delhi’s stance on fully implementing the agreement remains unchanged. He also noted that when the matter of conducting Provincial Council elections without delay was brought to President Dissanayake’s attention, the President signaled a positive response.
Meanwhile, former Member of Parliament S. Kajendran handed over a letter explaining the position of the Tamil National Council. The content of that letter was framed in a manner as if to lecture the Indian leader on Federalism, the Unitary State, and Ekkyarajya.
The Tamil National People’s Front operates on the belief that since Sri Lanka cannot achieve economic growth without Indian contribution, India can make a solution desired by Tamils a reality by exerting significant pressure on the Sri Lankan government.
In summary, the Tamil parties have once again requested India (through Radhakrishnan) to secure a solution based on a Federal system, this from a nation that has been unable to persuade Sri Lankan governments to fully implement even the 13th Amendment for nearly 40 years.
When will our Tamil leaders understand that a federal-based solution is not something established in one country through the pressure of another? When will they realize that the practical path toward federalism lies in protecting the Provincial Council system, reclaiming powers seized by the Central Government, and struggling to acquire further powers?
Beyond requesting that India exert pressure in Colombo, what exactly is their roadmap for achieving a federal solution?
