The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) could be revived if the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) agrees to the political stance proposed by the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), said ITAK spokesperson and President’s Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran.
He made these remarks in Vavuniya following a plenary meeting of ITAK’s Central Committee. The meeting, held at the party office from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday (10), brought together party members and MPs for discussions on the upcoming 2026 budget.
Sumanthiran told reporters that ITAK has not yet reached a final position on the budget presented by President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on November 7. He said the party’s parliamentary group and political committee would make a joint decision once the government’s proposals are fully presented.
The discussions also covered ITAK’s engagement with other Tamil political parties. Sumanthiran confirmed that ITAK had held several rounds of talks with the TNA leadership and had formally conveyed its position.
“If the TNA agrees, there is still a possibility of reunifying as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA),” he said, adding that the Central Working Committee had been authorized to extend an invitation to the TNA to pursue unity.
The party also discussed potential collaborations with the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF). Sumanthiran said ITAK aims to encourage all Tamil political groups to work together toward a shared political solution and a unified stance.
He revealed that party member Sathyalingam had recently met TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in Switzerland, with discussions focusing on the possibility of presenting a joint proposal to the Sri Lankan government.
Sumanthiran noted that the last formal proposal from the TNA was submitted to the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. He said ITAK plans to circulate a new proposal among Tamil parties, and if consensus is reached, it would serve as a common negotiating framework.
He also said ITAK has requested a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss a political settlement. In line with a previous Central Committee resolution, a 10-member delegation—comprising the party leader, Sumanthiran, and eight MPs—had been appointed for the meeting. However, the discussion was postponed due to the President’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly.
Commenting on current political developments, Sumanthiran said ITAK had not been invited to the joint opposition rally scheduled for November 21 and would not participate. He emphasized that while the party is open to cooperating with opposition groups on specific issues—such as calling for early provincial council elections and repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)—it does not intend to join a broader opposition coalition.
