November 19, 2007

Prabhakaran orders TNA MPs to return and vote against budget

Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians have been ordered to be back in Sri Lanka and be present on 19 November in the parliament to vote against Mahinda Rajapaksa’s budget 2008, Asia Tribune said yesterday.

It said quoting sources in Vanni that urgent messages had been dispatched to almost five TNA members of parliament who are at present away from the country to return immediately and help bring down the government.

The report said: "Sources revealed that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran had personally instructed the political division of the outfit to dispatch urgent messages to the 5 TNA parliamentarians, who are at present staying in overseas, to return to Sri Lanka before Monday and vote against the budget and defeat the government.

Sources added that he had said in case Mahinda Rajapakse’s government winning the vote and retaining power, there was likelihood that military advancing into Killinochchi and Mullaithivu shortly. To stop the military advance his only option was to defeat the government’s budget.

If the budget 2008 was defeated, it was likely that the Opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe might have the chances of winning the next election and he might again implement the Cease Fire Agreement. "

This is expected to help the militarily weakened LTTE to strengthen its hold in Vanni, the AsiaTribune said.

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