Eelaventhan’s ouster shrouded in mystery

TNA parliamentarian M. K. Eelaventhan was told that he lost his parliamentary seat on Friday due to unauthorised absence but the MP says he attended parliament three days during the week. Amidst this mystery or controversy, the Tamil National Alliance is undecided on whether to re-appoint Mr. Eelaventhan, a National List MP.

Mr. Eelaventhan said he left the country on September 3 after obtaining leave for three months which ended on December 4. But since he could not return within the stipulated three month time frame, he sought an extension through TNA parliamentarian T. Kanagasabai. But a parliamentary official had told Mr. Kanagasabai that Mr. Eelaventhan was marked present in the parliamentary register on October 10 and therefore the extension request could be made later if necessary.

But Mr. Eelaventhan said he did not attend parliament on October 10.“Mr. Kanagasabai was misled by what the official had said. The official may have made a clerical blunder when he said that I had come to Parliament on October10. Because of this blunder I have lost my seat in Parliament,” Mr. Eelaventhan told The Sunday Times.

But he said he returned to Sri Lanka on December 8 and attended parliament from December 10 to 13 and no one told him then that he had lost his seat.“The only reason this matter was raised was because of the vote on December 14. Otherwise, no one would have made an issue of it,” he said. Parliament Secretary General Priyanee Wijesekera said there was no hindrance to Mr. Eelaventhan’s re-appointment as an MP as he was appointed from the TNA National List.

TNA sources however said the matter has to be referred to the Elections Commissioner prior to the decision to re-appoint him.