Tamil National Council wants India to back federal solution

The Tamil National Council (TNC), headed by MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, has formally requested India's intervention to achieve a lasting political resolution for Tamils, urging the nation to compel Sri Lanka to transition away from its unitary Constitution and embrace federalism that acknowledges the Tamil nation's right to self-determination.

During India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's recent trip to Sri Lanka, the TNC presented this letter at a meeting in Colombo, where the organization also highlighted ongoing challenges faced by Tamils. The letter claims that Sri Lanka is currently drafting a new Constitution and asserts that the drafting process must include the Eelam Tamil people's aspirations, who have endured ethnic conflict and political marginalization for decades.

The TNC has previously shared these demands with Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister and other political leaders in the state during meetings held in December 2025 and July 2026. The TNC referenced the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, which recognized the Northern and Eastern Provinces as the traditional lands of Tamils and in principle endorsed these regions forming a unit with self-governance powers.

However, the 13th Amendment and the provincial council system established under the accord, it argued, did not lead to effective devolution within Sri Lanka's unitary constitutional setup. The letter cites a 1987 Supreme Court ruling, stating that under a unitary state, sovereignty remains centralized in the central government, making genuine autonomy unattainable.

The TNC claims that the constitutional framework currently under consideration, dubbed the "Aekiya Rajya" or unitary state constitution, would be less robust than the 13th Amendment and would not meet the political desires of the Tamil people. To attain a lasting settlement, the TNC argued, a federal constitutional order is required, recognizing the Tamil nation, its sovereignty, and its right to self-determination, within a unified Sri Lanka.

The organization called on India to pressure Colombo to avoid adopting the proposed unitary constitution and instead champion a new federal constitution that would provide autonomy and self-rule in the North-East. The TNC believes that India's economic gains and closer ties with Tamil Nadu provide New Delhi with a strong position to influence this process.