Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) spokesperson and party secretary M. A. Sumanthiran said that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) could be reconstituted if the Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) agrees to ITAK’s proposed political position.
He made the remarks in Vavuniya last week, following a full-day meeting of ITAK’s Central Working Committee.
According to Sumanthiran, the meeting ran from 10 a.m. into the evening at the party’s Vavuniya office, where members held extensive discussions with ITAK parliamentarians on the upcoming budget. He outlined the parliamentary schedule, noting that the Sri Lankan president, acting as Minister of Finance, will present the 2026 budget on 7 November, with the second reading and vote scheduled for the 14th, followed by the committee stage and third reading.
He told reporters that ITAK had not adopted a final stance on the budget and that the Parliamentary Group and Political Committee would make a joint decision once the government tables its proposals.
Sumanthiran said the meeting also covered ITAK’s recent conversations with other Tamil parties. He confirmed that the ITAK leadership had held several rounds of talks with the DTNA and formally conveyed the party’s position. If the DTNA agrees, he said, “there is still the possibility of functioning jointly again as the TNA.”
The Central Working Committee authorised extending an invitation to the DTNA to pursue unity.
The party also discussed potential engagement with the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF). Sumanthiran said ITAK had resolved to call on all Tamil parties to act together and attempt to build a shared position on a political solution.
He noted that ITAK was informed that party member Sathyalingam had recently met TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in Switzerland. A key question, Sumanthiran said, was whether all Tamil parties could now present a unified proposal to the Sri Lankan government.
He added that the last formal proposal submitted by the TNA was to the administration of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. ITAK would circulate that proposal to other Tamil parties, and if consensus is reached, it could serve as a common negotiating position.
Sumanthiran also said ITAK had sought a meeting with Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss a political settlement. In line with a previous Central Working Committee resolution, a ten-member delegation — the party leader, Sumanthiran, and eight MPs — had been appointed to meet the president.
A formal request was sent but went undelivered due to the president’s travel to the UN General Assembly. A follow-up letter was issued upon his return, but no response had been received.
Commenting on Sri Lankan politics, Sumanthiran said ITAK had not been invited to a joint opposition rally scheduled for 21 November and would not attend. He added that the party remained open to cooperating with other opposition formations on specific issues such as the immediate holding of Provincial Council elections and the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), but would not join a broader opposition alliance.
