Don't seat me next to Archuna - Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, leader of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) and Member of Parliament for the Jaffna District, has requested Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne to immediately change the seat of independent MP Archuna Ramanathan, who is seated next to him in the Parliament chamber, due to continuous intimidation and harassment from Mr. Ramanathan.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker on June 23, Mr. Ponnambalam pointed out that MP Ramanathan, seated next to him, constantly verbally abuses him. He further alleged that Mr. Ramanathan regularly uses derogatory language and threatens him with violence during District Coordination Committee meetings and on social media platforms.

Mr. Ponnambalam states that due to the current situation, sitting next to MP Ramanathan in the Parliament chamber has become impossible, and the matter has become so serious that it severely obstructs his ability to properly carry out his duties as a public representative.

He also pointed out that allocating a seat to Mr. Ramanathan, an MP elected for the first time from an independent group, among leaders and senior members of recognized political parties, is contrary to normal parliamentary traditions. Accordingly, he requested the Speaker to take steps to change MP Ramanathan's seat to the leftmost part of the chamber, considering the traditional seating arrangements for independent MPs.