The Tamil National Alliance will not accept ministerial portfolios in the government, out of respect for the “immense sacrifices” made by the Tamil people during the armed conflict, the party’s MP for Batticaloa, MP C Yogeswaran said.
The MP said the party was not “greedy” for such posts in this or the next government and would only consider the portfolios once the political aspirations of the Tamil people are fulfilled.
"We should respect the immense sacrifices made by our people during the three decades of civil war. Therefore, we cannot accept the portfolios for prestige reasons," Mr Yogeswaran said, while addressing a public meeting in Kiran, Batticaloa last Friday.
"Thousands of Tamil people in the past had sacrificed their lives to fulfil the political aspirations of the Tamil community. We are still negotiating with the government in power to achieve the political target of the Tamil people. Not a single cent had been allocated for the development of the Kiran village,
“The past regime also ignored the development of Kiran village. The present government too, had ignored the development of Kiran under its 100-Day Programme. 19.4 per cent of the Batticaloa District population was living below the poverty line," he further said.