Anandasangaree's attempt to pass confidence motion stopped

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 July 2003, 18:51 GMT]
The central committee meeting of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Sunday night around nine p.m.concluded after about seven-hour marathon session thwarting the attempt to pass a confidence motion on the leadership of Mr. V.Anandasangaree. However, Mr.Anandasangaree is reported to have told the committee members that the confidence motion would be brought again at the next central committee meeting, TULF sources said.

The central committee of the TULF started it crucial meeting at its office in Colombo Sunday around two in the afternoon presided by President of the TULF Mr.Anandasangaree.

All the 36 members of the central committee including seven TULF parliamentarians attended the meeting.

Some members said at the meeting that party President Mr.Anandasangaree had telephoned them and invited them personally to attend the meeting, sources said.

Except Mr.Anandasangaree, all other parliamentarians were of the view that there should be change in leadership of the party, informed sources said. However they did not openly express their opinion as the matter of ousting Mr.Anandasangaree did not come up for discussion at the meeting, sources said.

But at the last minute a member from Jaffna district proposed that the central committee expresses its full confidence on the President Mr.Anandasangaree and a member from the Batticaloa district seconded it.

When Mr.Anandasangaree wanted the confidence motion to be put to vote, some members intervened and said that no necessity has arisen to pass a confidence motion on the President at this stage.

Those proposed and seconded the confidence motion on the President Mr.Anandasangaree did not pursue the matter further and the move was abandoned, sources said

However Mr.Anandasangaree is reported to have told central committee members that the confidence motion would be brought once again at the next central committee meeting, sources said.

It was decided to have the next central committee meeting in the first week of August in Colombo, sources said.