Northern Governor Acting as a Servant of the Government, Says Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

27-Jun-2026

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Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) leader and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam accused Northern Province Governor Vethanayagan of acting in the interests of the President rather than the people. Speaking in Parliament during the adjournment debate on combating the drug menace, he described the Governor's decision to remove the Deputy Chairman of the Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha as undemocratic.

He claimed that although the Governor had earned public respect during his tenure as Government Agent, he was now serving as the President's representative and carrying out directives from the central government. Ponnambalam also alleged that the heavy military presence in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, combined with the spread of narcotics, reflected continued discrimination against those regions. He argued that the 13th Amendment had failed to provide genuine provincial autonomy, as key powers remained under the control of the President through the Governor.