By Roy Denish.
Ramanathan Archchuna rejects Tamil Eelam and backs Namal Rajapaksa for 2029 while sharply criticising Sri Lanka’s NPP government.
Independent Jaffna MP Ramanathan Archchuna addressed a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) rally in a Sinhala-majority city on Saturday, rejecting separatist statehood and backing Namal Rajapaksa for the presidency in 2029.
Speaking mainly in Sinhala before an audience that included Buddhist monks and senior party figures, Dr. Archchuna pledged support for national unity. He also launched sharp attacks on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s ruling National People’s Power (NPP) administration.
“Until the day I die in this country, I will not ask for Tamil Eelam,” Dr. Archchuna said, referring to the decades-long separatist project. “What I want is these Sinhala people.”
Ramanathan Archchuna Backs Namal for 2029
Dr. Archchuna, a physician elected as an independent from the Jaffna District in November 2024, reserved his strongest praise for Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He predicted that Namal would win the presidency in 2029. Ramanathan Archchuna also metaphorically offered to “drive Namal’s car” if northern Tamil and southern Sinhala communities unite.
He criticised contemporary political leadership through a wildlife allegory. He argued that voters had installed a “fox” where a historical balance between a lion and a tiger once existed. He also hailed the elder Rajapaksa as the defining Sinhala statesman.
Unverified Claims and Legal Friction
Addressing the rally, Dr. Archchuna alleged that sections of the Tamil diaspora covertly funded the current administration’s rise. However, the claims lack documentary proof and the NPP has not addressed them.
He also referred to questioning by the Criminal Investigation Department over an unverified 323-container consignment. Ramanathan Archchuna said he invoked parliamentary privilege and declined to answer questions.
The lawmaker claimed that he faces 29 court cases brought by the administration since entering politics. He contrasted this with what he described as a decade of unblemished medical practice.
He also criticised the governing party’s legislative competence, citing minor local criminal charges against a northern NPP MP.
Post-Conflict Political Backdrop
The outreach comes amid heightened post-conflict political friction and continued scrutiny in Geneva over historical accountability and minority rights in Sri Lanka.
Traditional northern political parties have long anchored their platforms on self-determination in the post-independence era.
Ramanathan Archchuna ended his address with stark personal language: “If you want to kill Tamil people, kill me.”
