News
Senathirajah complains of upstart from East plotting to oust TNA leader
By Dinasena Ratugamage
A politician from the East was trying to become the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) by creating issues among its MPs, former TNA MP, Mavai Senathirajah told the media on Wednesday.
Addressing the media in Jaffna, Senathirajah said that he had informed the TNAMPs of the situation and had held discussions with several party seniors on the matter.
“This politician has been telling MPs that the current leader of the TNA, R. Sampanthan is too old and on good terms with the government. The MP from the East has said that Sampanthan’s ideas do not suit the 21st Century and that had stood in the way of the Tamil people winning their rights, this upstart has been telling MPs from the North.”
The MP had also promised the re-merger of the North and the East and a separate administrative entity for the Tamil people. He has already met a number of politicians and academics in Jaffna, trying to convince them that he should be made the TNA leader, Senathirajah said.
“This man recently told the media that the government would not give us anything unless the Tamil people cranked up pressure. Sampanthan has kept quiet and the government feels that it can keep on ignoring the TNA,” the former MP said.
Senathirajah said that TNA leader R. Sampanthan was a mature leader and has a wide international network. No other Tamil leader in recent times has had Sampanthan’s stature and it would be counterproductive to change TNA leadership now, he said. “If anything, such a move would destabilise the party. This is not a time for a change in leadership. I feel that things are at a critical juncture and that we should be very careful when dealing with the government,” he said.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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