TNA to talk to SL Prez on 13th amendment

The 13th amendment, an outcome of an agreement reached between India and Sri Lanka in 1987, deals with devolution of land and police powers to the provinces in Sri Lanka.

“TNA would talk to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the India mooted 13th amendment to the Constitution as means of power sharing with the Tamil minority,” the TNA said, quoting party leader R Sampanthan saying this to the US ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz.

President Rajapaksa during his recent trip to India, after being elected last month, had said no solution would be possible without the consent of the Sinhalaese majority.

The Sinhalaese community is known to oppose the 13th amendment.Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was president between 2005 and 2015, had pledged to the then Indian PM Manmohan Singh that he would grant more powers to make 13A meaningful to provinces.