Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian MA Sumanthiran denied that his party reached an agreement with Sri Lanka’s prime minister, in order to back him against a no confidence motion in parliament last week.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer Mr Sumanthiran said that though the TNA had discussion with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding issues of concern to Tamils of the North-East, “our support for the Prime Minister was not conditional on them agreeing to any of this”.

“In extending our support to the National Unity government to fulfill its mandate, we pointed out the things that need to be rectified immediately if it is serious about meeting its pledges,” he added. “These are basic things, no one can say it is wrong to ask for private land to be returned or to ask for families of the disappeared to be given answers, or to ask that people being detained for 20 years without trial, be released, or that discrimination must end”.

Mr Sumanthiran went on again to state “we want the Unity Government to continue until these tasks are completed and their mandate is fulfilled”. “There were no other conditions attached to their support in the vote,” he concluded.

His comments come in contrast to fellow TNA parliamentarian Selvam Addaikalanathan

Mr Addaikalanathan had reportedly said there was a “heated argument and tension” at a meeting between the TNA and Mr Wickremesinghe’s United National Party, before the prime minister agreed to 10 demands including ensuring that the military vacates all property belonging to civilians and probing the wartime disappearances.