Legal wrangle forces TNA to choose "HOUSE" as election symbol

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 February 2004, 15:30 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has made alternate arrangements to hand over nomination papers on the Federal Party ticket with election symbol "HOUSE" if the court order against the Secretary General and Senior Vice President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in a law suit filed by the party president Mr.V. Anandasangaree continued beyond Thursday, TNA sources said.

Following the inconclusive meeting of the TULF nomination board Wednesday morning, leaders of the TNA met in the afternoon and discussed the prospect of contesting the election on the Federal Party ticket and using its election symbol "HOUSE", TNA sources said.

TNA leaders later are reported to have agreed to contest on FP ticket with symbol "HOUSE" if the legal wrangle between the TULF leaders continued after Thursday, TNA sources said.

The late leader Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam who has been fondly remembered by Tamils in the island as " Thanthai Chelva" founded the Federal Party with "HOUSE" as its election symbol in 1949 to propagate Tamil cause, sources said.

However the TNA leadership still hopes to contest the forthcoming general election in the symbol "RISING SUN" of the TULF as the appeal of the TULF Secretary General and Senior Vice President Messrs R.Sampanthan and Joseph Pararajasingham against the Colombo District Court interim injunction order on them is to be heard Thursday in the Court of Appeal, legal sources said.

Mr.Sampanthan and Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham filed an appeal praying to quash the interim injunction order made by the Colombo District Court on February 11 in favour of Mr.Anandasangaree.

The interim injunction order says the Mr.Sampanthan and Mr.Jospeh Pararajasingham should not convene any party meeting without prior permission of the party president Mr.Anandasangaree and also restraining them from conducting party business without consulting Mr.Anandasangaree, legal sources said.