BJP not concerned about Provincial Council elections: Wigneswaran
16-Nov-2025.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not appear to be worried about Provincial Council elections in Sri Lanka, especially when Tamil political parties have not jointly demanded such elections, said Tamil People’s National Alliance (TPNA) leader and former Supreme Court Judge C.V. Wigneswaran.
He responded to a question on whether Provincial Council elections—pending since 2018—would ever be held and whether holding them would actually benefit Tamils.
He stated:
“Both the Sinhala majority and some Tamils oppose the Provincial Council system. India—under whose assistance the 13th Amendment was included in Sri Lanka’s Constitution—is also silent about it now. When Tamil political parties themselves have not jointly demanded Provincial Council elections, why should the BJP government be concerned? First, the Tamil national parties must decide whether they want these elections. If there is no unity among them, India cannot be blamed for not speaking up.
“Even if India pushes for it, many among us are ready to throw away both the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Council system. I do not know whether they are being controlled by China. There are those among Tamil-speaking people who would even question why India insists on holding elections for Provincial Councils that have limited powers.”
He warned:
“This short-sighted view will severely affect the future of the Tamil people. Tamil parties must first unite and agree that Provincial Council elections should be held immediately.
“The 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord is the only legally binding document that recognises the Northern and Eastern provinces as the traditional homeland of the Tamil-speaking people. Based on this, we must strengthen our existing powers.”
He added:
“We must recognise that Provincial Councils are what we already have in hand, while our long-term political aspirations remain distant. Expecting a favourable constitutional change from Sinhala leaders is futile. Some dream that the U.S. or China will bring us solutions, but they ignore the reality of modern India.
“Provincial Councils have been dissolved for seven years now. Elections have been postponed on the excuse of fixing the electoral system. Would Sinhalese tolerate a seven-year postponement of parliamentary elections? No. They tolerate the postponement of Provincial Council elections only because they do not value the system.”
He concluded:
“If elections are not held and our distinct identity is not asserted, we will continue under Sinhala dominance and eventually lose our unique identity.”
