The Tamil National Alliance has laid claim to the leader of the opposition post, in Sri Lanka's parliament.

In a statement published on Saturday, the TNA said as the party with the second-highest number of seats, the UPFA, has decided to form a national government with the UNP, it is not anymore an opposition party and as such the TNA is now the largest opposition party.

"It has been announced that a National Government has been formed and that Members of Parliament who contested and were elected under both the UNP and the UPFA have accepted cabinet portfolios. Accordingly, both the UNP and the UPFA bear collective cabinet responsibility. As political parties in Parliament, they thus must publicly support all Governmental decisions made in Cabinet. This support includes voting with the Government when sitting in Parliament. There is thus no question whatsoever of the UPFA sitting in opposition in Parliament," the statement said.

"In these circumstances, the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) which obtained a total of 16 seats, has emerged as the largest political party in Opposition in Parliament. In accordance with Parliamentary practice and convention, the Parliamentary Group Leader of ITAK must thus be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition," the TNA statement further said.

The largest Tamil party said the reluctance of the government to recognise the TNA as the main opposition party shows its unwillingness to honour its commitments to treat Tamils as equal citizens, adding that

"A reluctance to even recognize the elected representatives of the Tamil People as the main party in Opposition does not bode well for the readiness of the President and the Government to arrive at a solution that grants meaningful powers of governance to the Tamil People."

The TNA stressed its own commitment to constructively engage with the government to resolve the "national problem" in Sri Lanka, adding that if the government is committed to a solution, its actions must reflect that.