In a surprising turn of events, former Tamil militant leaders and one-time rivals, Karuna Amman and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan, have announced a joint effort to contest the upcoming Local Government Elections.
Addressing a joint media conference on Saturday, Pillayan stated that they had resolved their past differences to work together for the betterment of the North and East. He acknowledged the role of Karuna Amman in forming the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) to fight against the LTTE, and admitted to subsequent disagreements following the LTTE’s defeat.
Karuna Amman reciprocated the goodwill by praising Pillayan’s performance as the former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, claiming that he had accomplished more for the people than C.V. Wigneswaran did as the Chief Minister of the Northern Province.