JAFFNA — A faction of senior leaders within the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) has accused the party's top leadership of subverting internal democracy by delaying the organization's national convention and manipulating district-level selections to entrench themselves in power, according to statements made at a press conference held Saturday at the Jaffna Media Centre.
The dissidents said the party has suffered repeated electoral losses, administrative dysfunction, and a string of controversial political alliances under the current leadership, prompting an exodus of members and, in an unusual development, public protests by former fighters against the party's own command structure.
According to the group, leadership committee meetings in Vavuniya on March 21 and in Trincomalee on April 25 ended with a decision made over their objections to postpone the national convention. The leadership also moved to discard General Council selections that had already been completed in eight districts and replace them with new appointees, a step the dissidents characterized as a violation of the party's constitution.
The group further alleged that in six districts, excluding Mannar and Mullaitivu, the party leader and secretary quietly convened meetings limited to their own loyalists in order to handpick new General Council members. They said the move was aimed at influencing the party’s national convention, scheduled for June 14, and ensuring that key administrative positions remained in the hands of the current leadership.
The dissidents also linked the turmoil to allegations of personal misconduct by the party leader Selvam Adaikalanathan, saying reports of an improper relationship with a former female party member had circulated on social media and damaged the organization's standing. They said the controversy triggered a protest, and that subsequent efforts by the secretary and others to shield the leader from scrutiny deepened internal divisions.
The group said the party leader had previously acknowledged the matter to the deputy leader and pledged to the leadership committee that he would not seek any future position.
The press conference was addressed by Jaffna District Secretary and leadership committee member Saba Kugathas, former Member of Parliament and leadership committee member S. Vinonoharathalingam, National Organizer Prasanna Indrakumar, Deputy Leader Henry Mahendran, and former Provincial Council member Bhuvaneswaran.
TELO, one of the oldest Tamil militant organizations to transition into mainstream politics, has been led by Selvam Adaikalanathan since the killing of its leader, Sri Sabaratnam, in 1986. In recent months, Mr. Adaikalanathan has faced scrutiny following the circulation of audio recordings on social media that critics say suggest an inappropriate relationship with a former female party member. The controversy deepened after the individual reported to have released the recordings was later found dead.
