TNA may ask President to probe Wigneswaran’s charge

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) may ask President Maithripala Sirisena to order a police investigation into Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran’s contention that a plot is being hatched in South Sri Lanka to kill him and blame the LTTE for it, the New Indian Express reported.

TNA’s General Secretary Mavai Senathirajah said on Wednesday that he has asked party chief R.Sampanthan to take the matter up with the President, and seek enhanced police protection for Wigneswaran.

Senathirajah said that Wigneswaran, having been a Supreme Court judge, would not have made a charge of this nature in writing and publicised it, without grounds. The matter deserves to be investigated by the police.

However it is not clear yet, if Sampanthan has take up the matter with the President. He had told DailyFT that the matter is under consideration.

Wigneswaran had made the charge in a written speech which was read out at a book launch function in Jaffna on 2 October.

Earlier, Wigneswaran’s recent controversial utterances were raised in parliament by the pro-Mahinda Rajapaksa Joint Opposition group. Dinesh Gunawardene said that by demanding the stoppage of construction of Buddhist temples and settlement of Sinhalese in the Tamil-majority North, Wigneswaran had violated rights enshrined in the constitution. Wimal Weerawansa demanded that the TNA is culpable because Wigneswaran was elected as a TNA candidate.

However, the Leader of the House and UNP MP, Lakshman Kiriella, said that the matter should not be raised in the House because Wigneswaran had said that he had been misinterpreted and had clarified his position. 

TNA Chief and Leader of the Opposition R.Sampanthan said that a careful reading of Wigneswaran’s speech at the “Ezhuga Thamizh”(Tamils Arise) rally showed that he had not said anything that the TNA has not been saying. In fact the TNA has been urging the powers-that-be in Colombo to attend to these issues expeditiously.

Sampanthan further said that Wigneswaran had clarified his stand , correcting the misrepresentations in the South.

However, Sampanthan added that the TNA had good reasons for not attending the “Ezhuga Tamizh” rally. (Colombo Gazette)