TPA Leader Assures India on Constitutional Safeguards for Devolution

Tamil Progressive Alliance leader Mano Ganesan has pledged to the Indian Foreign Secretary that Sri Lanka's constitutional reforms will protect the devolution framework, while advocating for formal recognition of the Non-Territorial Tamil Community Council.

During discussions with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri at India House in Colombo, Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader Mano Ganesan sought to address New Delhi's concerns regarding Sri Lanka's constitutional revision process. Ganesan emphasized that any reforms undertaken by the government would preserve the devolution architecture established through the 13th Amendment, which emerged from the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord.

Ganesan, who served on the Constitutional Steering Committee alongside President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, pointed out that the committee's interim report focused on strengthening rather than weakening Provincial Councils. He stated that the government has committed to resuming constitutional work from its previous point of suspension. According to Ganesan, abandoning or reducing the powers of Provincial Councils would contradict the political and moral positions both he and the President had taken during committee deliberations.

Beyond defending existing devolution structures, Ganesan pressed for constitutional recognition of the Non-Territorial Tamil Community Council as a mechanism to protect the democratic interests of Sri Lanka's Indian-Origin Tamil population. He acknowledged India's legitimate stake in the constitutional process, citing the country's historical involvement in establishing the devolution framework decades earlier.

The meeting, held on August 5th, included representation from the Tamil Progressive Alliance, other political figures, and community representatives of Indian-Origin Tamils. Ganesan concluded by affirming his faction's commitment to constructive participation in constitutional reform while maintaining firm positions on devolution protection, power-sharing expansion, and formal recognition of the proposed community council.