Sampanthan died with a broken heart, says Mano Ganesan in X platform

Rajavarothiyam Sampanthan, an ethnic Tamil leader and lawmaker who became the face of the minority group’s campaign for autonomy in Sri Lanka after the end of a brutal quarter-century civil war, has died. He was 91.

Tamil parliamentarian Mano Ganesan paid tribute to the late Sampanthan.

Mano Ganesan said the following on X:

“I’m a Sri Lankan first” said Sam, late #Sambandan, holding a #Lion_flag on a political stage in #Jaffna, sending a message of reconciliation to #Sinhala south.

RanilW and I, were standing beside him on the stage.

Then, Sam worked hard in the Parliamentary Steering Committee to bring a new constitution within the Unitary system based on #13A during the GG government.

The Steering Committee was chaired by current President #RanilW while current PM #DineshG was a member representing then opposition #SLPP. #AnuraKD, too, was a member.

That was Sam’s last serious attempt to bring a solution within undivided Sri Lanka.

Though not a member of his party, I have been closely watching him since that Jaffna stage and working in the Steering Committee as a member of my party #TPA.

But Southern Political parties failed to reciprocate Sam’s “reconciliation messages of Sri Lanka” and instead accused him of ‘trying to win what #VeluPillai_Praba failed by guns’.

I think Sam, probably the last northern Tamil leader with such a sense of Reconciliation, died with a broken heart..!

#ManoGanesan @RW_UNP @sajithpremadasa @anuradisanayake

https://x.com/manoganesan/status/1807797192297775292?s=46