Tamil Nadu parties slam Sirisena for dissolution of Sri Lankan Parliament

Chennai: Several political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the main opposition DMK, on Saturday termed the dissolution of the Sri Lankan Parliament as “murder of democracy” and urged the Union Government to quickly intervene for the sake of India’s security and the welfare of the Tamils in the island nation.

In a strongly worded statement here, DMK president MK Stalin said the ‘atrocious’ dissolution of parliament amounted to “trampling of the Constitution” as the Sri Lankan constitution clearly says only a resolution by two thirds of its MPs can pave the way to dissolve the House within four and a half years of its convening.

Terming the situation in Sri Lanka as a “political emergency” threatening the national stability and jeopardising the Tamils’ welfare, Stalin urged the Centre to condemn the “murder of democracy” and take steps forthwith to ensure that the Tamils there had a dignified life with peace and security.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said although it was Sri Lanka’s internal issue, the Centre cannot overlook the developments as the security of India and the welfare of the Tamil population of the island nation was at stake.

“It is a brutal murder of democracy since Parliament’s tenure ends only in August 2020,” said Anbumani, who is also the party’s Dharmapuri Lok Sabha MP.
He alleged that the Maithripala Sirisena-Rajapaksa combine would try to win the January 5 polls through intimidating tactics and by indulging in poll irregularities. If they succeeded, it would lead to “both anti-Tamil” and “anti-India measures” in Sri Lanka, said Anbumani. He alleged that “strategic” locations in Sri Lanka may be given on a platter to China, jeopardising India’s security interests”.

TTV Dhinakaran of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam too condemned the dissolution of parliament and demanded that the United Nations and the Indian government monitor the situation and ensure Tamils were not affected in any way. Accusing Rajapaksa of being responsible for the killings of Tamils in 2009, he said Parliament has been dissolved at a time when Tamils all over the world were expecting annulment of Rajapaksa’s appointment as the prime minister, an “atrocious act that would root out democracy”.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko accused Sirisena of executing a “treacherous drama” to hand over full powers to Rajapaksa, who was allegedly responsible for the killings of Tamil people during the Eelam war in 2009.

Sri Lanka is facing a major political crisis after President Maithripala Sirisena ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Rajapaksa and suspended Parliament. Days ahead of the floor test in the house, his spokesman Friday acknowledged that Rajapaksa remains short of the ‘magic number’ 113 required to prove a majority in Parliament.

And then the President dropped the final bombshell dissolving the Parliament altogether and announcing fresh elections on January 5 next year.The crisis erupted suddenly amid growing tensions between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe, with the former openly faulting the PM on several policy matters, especially on the economy and security.