Sri Lanka’s Northern Provincial Council has sought India’s active participation in its negotiations with the Sri Lankan government for greater devolution of political rights to the island’s Tamils.

In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has called upon “the Government of India to actively participate and contribute in the negotiation process to enable the Tamil-speaking peoples in the north east of Sri Lanka to live with dignity, peace and security.”

A delegation of the TNA, which holds power in the Northern PC met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the meeting Modi urged the TNA to work together with other political parties representing Tamil speaking people to form a broader alliance to look for a solution

However, in this meeting Modi rejected TNA’s request to appoint a Special Envoy for Sri Lanka stating that the Indian High Commission in Colombo is sufficiently equipped to handle the matters.