The decision of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to abstain on the passing of Sri Lanka’s budget last week “was already taken in New Delhi and communicated to the TNA leadership”, according to a report in the Sunday Times this morning.
TNA parliamentarians, and the TMTK’s C V Wigneswaran, all abstained on a vote on the final reading of the 2021 Budget which was passed on Thursday. The budget brings a host of nationalist policies, including a digital protectionist tax.
From the North-East, the Tamil National People’s Front was the only major Tamil party to vote against it.
“None of the TNA MPs explained to their voter base why they decided to abstain from voting,” said the Sunday Times. “A local TNA apparatchik” then reportedly added that “the decision was already taken in New Delhi and communicated to the TNA leadership”.
Read more here.
The report comes after India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met with TNA leader R Sampanthan in Colombo last month.
