The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the main Tamil political party, will not officially support this initiative, ITAK member MP S. Sritharan said.
However, he added that many ITAK members will unofficially back Ariyanethran during the election campaign. Sritharan, attending the event on his personal initiative, expressed his support.
However, MP M. A. Sumanthiran criticised the idea of a common Tamil candidate, arguing that it weakens the Tamil cause.
He stated on ‘X’, “This is not an election to send a message on Tamil issues. It is not a referendum on the right to self-determination.”
Recently, the ITAK lawmakers also discussed some critical issues the party has been negotiating with the government, including the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution ahead of the Presidential Poll.
At the event yesterday, Suresh Premachandran said, Ariyanethran will contest the Presidential Election as an independent candidate.
The announcement was made during a media event at the Father Selva Auditorium in Jaffna, where several members of the Democratic Tamil National Alliance surrounded the candidate.
Discussions on fielding a Tamil common candidate in the Presidential Election have been ongoing within the Tamil community.
The event was attended by key figures such as Suresh Premachandran, Tamil National Party leader N. Srikantha, P. Ainkaranesan, C. Vendan and political analysts Nilandan, Yathindra and Attorney C. A. Yothilingam.
Many believe that the nomination of the Tamil candidate was not intended to win the presidential race, but rather to highlight the presence of a significant community in the North and East and to bring recognition to them on the international arena.
(ceylontoday.lk)
