Friday, 4 October 2013 02:57
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
With last minute wrangling over a single ministerial portfolio, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has been unable to finalise its list of provincial ministers for the Northern Provincial Council and will meet again this morning in an attempt to reach consensus, Daily FT learns.
At least three of the four portfolios; Health, Education, Roads and Agriculture have been finalised after Wednesday’s late evening meeting, party sources said.
The last tussle is over the portfolio for the TNA constituent party the EPRLF led by Suresh Premachandran, the sources said. Premachandran wants his brother to be appointed while other leaders are insisting that an EPRLF member elected with a higher number of preferential votes is awarded the portfolio.
The TNA has decided to choose professionals in the fields to assume the provincial health and education portfolios, with a doctor from Vavuniya, Sathialingam, tipped to be NPC Minister of Health and Thambirajah Kurukularajah, a former Director of Education from Kilinochchi expected to be appointed Minister of Education.
Both Sathialingam and Kurukularajah got in excess of 20,000 votes at the recent provincial council elections in the Northern Province. A TNA candidate from Mannar District is also expected to be appointed a Minister in the first Northern PC.
