‚ By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy Island

Had President Ranasinghe Premadasa allowed the Eelam People-â„¢s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF)-run first North East Provincial Council (NEPC) to function, the Eelam conflict wouldn-â„¢t have taken such a destructive course, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake asserted yesterday.

He said that President Premadasa had joined forces with LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran instead backing the first NE Chief Minister Varatharaja Perumal-â„¢s administration.

President Premadasa was bent on sabotaging the provincial administration regardless of consequences, the minister said. He was responding to a query on a live political discussion, on the ITN yesterday morning.

Perumal was appointed the Chief Minister of the NEPC following the elections held in November 1988 under the supervision of the Indian Army.

Having reached an understanding with Prabhakaran in May 1989, President Premadasa provided the LTTE with the wherewithal to wage war against the IPKF and the EPRLF, Minister Dissanayake said.

The MP criticised President Premadasa-â„¢s unilateral demand that the Indian Army be pulled out by July 1989.

He claimed that the initiative to settle the national issue through peaceful means had suffered a debilitating setback due to President Premadasa-â„¢s foolish move.

Responding to another query, Dissanayake accused the UNP of causing mayhem in Jaffna in the -˜80s. The minister alleged that the disruption of Jaffna DDC polls and setting the Jaffna library ablaze caused the rapid deterioration of the situation in the North.

Although successive governments couldn-â„¢t overcome terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa succeeded in May 2009, the minister said.

Whatever the criticism, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), comprising the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi, the EPRLF, the TELO, the PLOTE and the TULF comfortably won the first Northern Provincial Council poll, the minister said, adding that contrary to expectations those who had campaigned on an LTTE platform barely managed to enter the council. The minister ridiculed newly elected MPs who took their oaths at Vellimullavaikkal following a simmering dispute over the allocation of ministerial portfolios. Dissanayake asserted that the ongoing power struggle in the TNA could get worse and the moderates would definitely experience difficulties.

Expressing confidence that Northern Province CM retired Justice C. V. Wigneswaran would be able to work with the government for the benefit of northerners, Minister Dissanayake stressed that no government had done so much work in the Northern Province.

Commenting on the continuing crisis in the UNP, Dissanayake alleged that former UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, MP was primarily responsible for the crisis in the party today. Due to Premadasa-â„¢s treachery many party members had to leave the party, the minister said, alleging the former President-â„¢s son wanted the party to remain in the Opposition until he was ready to succeed Wickremesinghe.

Responding to a query by The Island, the minister said that those who had courageously backed Premadasa-â„¢s initial push for reforms in the wake of heavy defeats were forced to face the wrath of Wickremesinghe. “Sajith Premadasa never wanted to bring the operation to a successful conclusion. He launched a project but abandoned it halfway leaving his associates to face the fire. Dayasiri Jayasekera was one of the victims of Premadasa-â„¢s deceit.”