Three minor Tamil parties in Sri Lanka to form an alliance

Three minor political parties representing Tamils in Sri Lanka have decided to join hands to form a new political front, saying that the major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) only represents the Tamils in the northern and eastern part of the country.

Mano Ganesan, the Leader of the Democratic People’s Front (DPF), a minority party for the Western Province Tamils, has said two other political parties representing Tamils in the central hill plantations are to join his party to form the new political front.

The National Union of Workers (NUW) and Up Country People’s Front (UCPF), which represent estate Tamils in central hill plantations, are to join Ganesan’s party.

“Tamils live not only in the north and east. There are Tamils who live in the western, north western, central and south western provinces,” Mano Ganesan said, adding that the TNA only represents the north and eastern Tamils.

“There are 3.2 million Tamils out of which a half live outside north and east. So the TNA can’t represent them,” Mano Ganesan said.

Both the NUW and UCPF supported the current President Maithripala Sirisena in the January presidential election when he defeated incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. With the pending Parliamentary election, the new Tamil alliance would be crucial for the incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP). Ganesan has been a long standing ally of the UNP.

(Colombopage)