Jaffna TELO branch contradicts party stance on SL presidential election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 November 2019, 20:02 GMT]
The Secretary and Deputy Secretary of the Jaffna branch of Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), a constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has issued a statement against the decision made by its hierarchy on supporting Sajith Premadasa in the forthcoming SL Presidential election. The party should not back a candidate who fails to genuinely honour the thirteen-point demands put forward by the six major Tamil parties, the Jaffna branch of the TELO said in a media statement issued after discussing the matter at a meeting held in Jaffna on Saturday.

The TELO branch was openly and fully backing M.K. Shivajilingam, a veteran leader of the party contesting in the presidential election.

The move comes as the hierarchy of the TELO reluctantly decided to back Sajith Premadasa following pressure from the ITAK, the main constituent of the TNA.

The TELO leadership was also under pressure from the ITAK to sack Mr Shivajilingam after the latter's unilateral decision to take part in the presidential polls.

TELO hierarchy was locked in a position to satisfy the TNA leaders. The TELO leadership thinks that it could secure seats in the SL Parliament only if it contested the SL parliamentary polls under the ‘house’ symbol of the TNA.

Secretary of TELO branch in Jaffna Silvester W Nicholas and Deputy Secretary Jeyaratnam Janarthanan have issued the statement.



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