Leftist ministers meet TNA to re-assure their support for the 13 A

The three Leftist ministers in the government, Prof. Tissa Vitarana, D.E.W. Gunasekera and Vasudeva Nanayakkara have expressed solidarity with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in fully implementing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Leader of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Minister of Technology and Research, Prof. Vitarana, General Secretary of the Communist Party (CP) and Minister of Human Resources, D.E.W. Gunasekera, and Leader of the Democratic Left Front (DLF) and Minister of National Languages and Social Integration, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, had met a group of TNA Parliamentarians at the Parliament Complex on Wednesday (22).  TNA Spokesperson, Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran, told Ceylon Today the meeting between the Leftists, who are also the Cabinet Ministers in the UPFA Government, was an encouraging sign in the backdrop where several elements are vehemently opposing the 13th Amendment which was introduced to address political grievances of the Tamils in the North and East. "The three ministers, who are well-known to have a broader outlook when it comes to minority issues, said the 13th Amendment should not be weakened and the Northern Provincial Council polls should be conducted in a manner without destabilizing the amendment. They also expressed their concerns about the land acquisition issues in the North and East," Premachandran said.   The TNA was represented by its Leader, R. Sampanthan and MPs Suresh Premachandran, M.A. Sumanthiran and Mavai Senathiraja. The ministers were also of the view that land and police powers should not be stripped off the 13th Amendment, Premachandran said. "They also said the Northern Provincial Council polls should be conducted without any delay, in order to address the political aspirations of the people in the North and East," he added.  Premachandran, also commenting on a comment made by Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, that police powers should not be given to the North and East, said without police and land powers the Northern Provincial Council would be meaningless.  "Several aspects, including the merger of the North and East, have been removed from the 13th Amendment and the removal of powers further from the amendment will make it meaningless. It is too early to say how the TNA would respond if those powers are removed," he added. By Ananth Palakidnar CT