A Sri Lankan Tamil political party has asked India to press the Sri Lankan government to replace its unitary state structure with a federal system, stating it is the only way for Tamil people to fully exercise political rights promised under past agreements.
A delegation from the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) met recently with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai, where it called on India to use its influence with Colombo.
TNPF leader and Jaffna District lawmaker Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said the powers envisioned under the Indo-Lanka Accord could only be meaningfully realized within a federal administrative framework.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ponnambalam said a federal system remained essential for the Tamil people to secure the authority and rights they have long sought.
He urged Stalin to encourage India’s central government to apply diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka to move in that direction.
India has historically played a role in Sri Lanka’s ethnic reconciliation process, particularly through the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, which aimed to devolve power to the provinces following decades of conflict. The Sri Lankan government has maintained a unitary system of governance, a position that continues to draw criticism from Tamil political groups.
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