For the first time after the exit of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the Sri Lankan Tamil political scene in May 2009, Jaffna district politics is witnessing a clash between moderates and radicals on the ethnic issue, The New Indian Express said.

The clash could reach a high point if the Central Committee of the moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) entertains a discussion on the recent anti-party activities of the increasingly radical Northern Province Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran, the report further stated.

The New Indian Express further said that during the August 17 parliamentary elections, Wigneswaran had indirectly asked Tamils to vote for the radical Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF), instead of his own party, the TNA.

However, during the election period. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran explained Wigneswaran's decision as a result of the preferential voting system. Speaking to Asian Mirror, he said that Wigneswaran remains in the TNA and pulled out of the campaign since he did not want to be involved in individual competitions for preferential votes.

Political observers are surprised that the TNA is facing such a challenge after convincingly winning five out of the seven seats in the Tamil heartland of Jaffna, and after being named the official opposition in the Lankan parliament.

However, this shows the division between the moderates and the radicals which had always been an underlying issue within the TNA.

While the internal challengers are the defeated candidates with a radical past, and of course Wigneswaran, the external challengers are the Tamil National Peoples’ Front (TNPF), Tamil civil society, the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora and the Tamil media.

The radicals want an international probe into the war crimes charges plus an international judicial tribunal. The moderates say that an international probe has already been conducted and that its report will be placed before the UNHRC on September 30. What the Tamils should demand now is an international court to try those indicted in the report, the moderates suggest. The radicals point out that the so-called international “probe” report is not based on field visits.

(With inputs from The New Indian Express)

Three political parties of the Tamil National Alliance have made a request from TNA leader R. Sampanthan to convene the Coordination Committee of the alliance, Northern Provincial Council member M.K. Sivajilingam said.

He said that the EPRLF, the TELO and the PLOTE have made this request.

The reason for the request is the different opinions voiced by different senior party members of the TNA, Sivajilingam stated. Mavai Senathirajah, the leader of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi recently said that there was no need for an international investigation since an investigation has been done already. Senathirajah also criticized Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran for supporting an international inquiry.

Meanwhile, TNA leader R. Sampanthan said that he cannot oppose an international inquiry if the people makes demands for it.

The ITAK is the largest party of the four party alliance.

Despite its election victory and the appointment of its leader R. Sampanthan as Opposition Leader in Parliament, divisions within the Tamil National Alliance have started to resurface once again.

The most recent development indicating serious clash of opinions occurred recently in Vavuniya when the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi leader Mavai Senathirajah lashed out at Northern Province Council Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran.

Addressing an event held to welcome TNA MPs elected from the Vanni District, Senathirajah criticized Wigneswaran's demand for an international investigation into the alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, pointing out that the UNHRC has already done an international inquiry. Senathirajah asked as to why an investigation is demanded when it has already been carried out.

Meanwhile, Wigneswaran's decision to remain neutral in the recent general election was also severely criticized.

At that time, there were reports that Wigneswaran was getting closer to the more radical Tamil political groups such as the All Ceylon Tamil Congress led by Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. However, speaking to Asian Mirror during the election period, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said that there was no division in the TNA and Wigneswaran wanted to keep out of the competition between different candidates, which is a natural result of the preferential system.

Ponnambalam's ACTC failed to win any seats in the general election.

Divisions within the TNA surfaced immediately after the election when former Media Spokesperson and leader of the EPRLF Suresh Premachandran criticized the appointment of two national list MPs from among the ITAK members, without consulting other parties in the TNA.

There was also some friction between Senathirajah and Wigneswaran from the Northern Provincial Council election period in 2013. Senathirajah was widely believed to be the candidate for Chief Minister but the TNA could not arrive at a consensus. Meanwhile, Wigneswaran, a former Supreme Court judge, entered politics as the CM candidate. Senathirajah was elected the leader of ITAK later.