At a press conference in Jaffna on 12th April, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Acting Leader and Northern Provincial Council Speaker C.V.K. Sivagnanam criticised visiting ministers and MPs for arriving in the North and conducting improper electoral campaigns.
Further elaborating, he criticised government-affiliated individuals for conducting election campaigns from stages set up within temple premises in the North, calling it a clear violation of election regulations and an inappropriate act.
He pointed out that, over the past decade, only Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Bimal Rathnayake from the JVP had visited Jaffna, while other party members remained largely unfamiliar with the region. Despite this, he noted, they now arrive with an air of authority and a colonial mindset.
Expressing disappointment, he said there had been hopes that a leftist party would bring about meaningful change, but that hope had not materialised. For more than 75 years, Tamil people have consistently called for recognition of their national homeland, yet the government has failed to clarify its position and continues to mislead the Tamil population.
