One such was the full implementation of the thirteenth amendment conferring unfettered powers to the northern provincial council in Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated north.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and political parties in Tamil Nadu were critical of Rajapaksa's continuous failure to implement the “13 plus” policy or making provincial councils more meaningful.
TNA won the first ever elections to the northern provincial council in September last year and made repeated calls to allow full powers to the provinces.
The system of provincial councils was introduced after direct Indian intervention in Sri Lanka in 1987 as part of the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord to resolve the then ongoing Sri Lankan civil war.
