Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader and Member of Parliament Mano Ganesan has reassured India that Sri Lanka’s ongoing constitutional reform process will not dilute the devolution framework established under the 13th Amendment, while pressing for constitutional recognition of the Non‑Territorial Tamil Community Council (NTTC) to safeguard the democratic aspirations of Indian‑Origin Tamils.

Speaking at a meeting with visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishri at India House in Colombo yesterday (05), Ganesan emphasized that India’s concerns are understandable given its historic role in the 1987 Indo‑Lanka Accord, which paved the way for Provincial Councils. 

Issuing a statement, he noted that India has both the moral standing and legitimate interest to caution against any constitutional process that undermines devolution.

Ganesan pointed out that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has pledged to resume the constitutional process from where it was suspended, and that the Constitutional Steering Committee’s Interim Report did not propose weakening the 13th Amendment. Instead, he said, it recommended strengthening Provincial Councils and deepening devolution.

“I served alongside President Dissanayake on the Steering Committee. It would be politically and morally inconsistent to now weaken or abolish Provincial Councils,” Ganesan stated.

He further stressed that constitutional reform must not only safeguard devolution but also recognize the aspirations of the Indian‑Origin Tamil community through the NTTC proposal.

“We will engage constructively in the constitutional process, but we will not compromise on protecting devolution, strengthening power‑sharing, and securing constitutional recognition for the NTTC,” he said.

The meeting was attended by TPA Deputy Leader Radhakrishnan MP, CWC General Secretary Jeevan Thondaman MP, and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, alongside representatives of Sri Lanka’s Indian‑Origin Tamil community. (Newswire)

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