President Anura Kumara Dissanayake Wins Hearts and Minds in the North and East
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent visit to Sri Lanka’s Northern Province to mark the Pongal festival has generated a notably positive political resonance among Tamil communities, analysts, and civil society observers. The visit, his second to the North since assuming office, is being widely interpreted as a symbolic and practical affirmation of his administration’s stated commitment to national unity without ethnic, religious, or regional division.
Political commentators participating in a recent Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) current affairs programme-Talk to TBC- observed that the President’s presence in the North on a culturally significant day carried both emotional and strategic weight. According to the analysis aired, the reception extended to President Dissanayake was particularly warm among Tamil women, young people, and children—demographics often viewed as key indicators of longer-term political sentiment. The programme noted that public engagement during the visit reflected curiosity, openness, and cautious optimism rather than the suspicion that has historically characterised relations between the Tamil public and leaders from Colombo.
This visit also carried a broader political message. By moving freely through the Northern Province without heavy symbolism of security or hesitation, the President underscored a central narrative of his administration: that the North is no longer an exceptional or isolated space within the Sri Lankan state, but an integral part of a normalised, peaceful, and governable country. Tamil political analysts speaking on TBC argued that this visual and political normalisation sends an important signal not only to domestic audiences but also to the international community, particularly investors and development partners.
“The message to the world is clear,” one analyst stated. “The North is stable, peaceful, and open for development and investment. This is not conveyed through speeches alone, but through the confidence of the Head of State to engage openly with the people in their own cultural spaces.”
The programme further highlighted that this approach aligns with President Dissanayake’s broader vision of economic recovery and inclusive growth. Analysts noted that the tangible economic dividends now reaching Tamil-majority areas—through welfare programmes, nutrition initiatives, and infrastructure revival—are reshaping political perceptions that were previously dominated by identity-based narratives rather than material outcomes.
However, the discussion also turned to a growing political tension: the evolving relationship between the National People’s Power (NPP) government and established Tamil political parties. According to the TBC panel, while the government has repeatedly signalled its openness to dialogue with Tamil political representatives, progress has been uneven. Some Tamil parties, analysts argued, appear hesitant to fully engage with government-led development initiatives, partly due to concerns over losing political relevance if the President’s popularity among Tamil voters continues to grow independently of traditional intermediaries.
“There is a real risk,” one commentator warned, “that if Tamil political parties are perceived as obstructing development initiatives that enjoy grassroots support, particularly among youth and women, they will be rejected by the very communities they claim to represent.” The analysis suggested that identity-based politics, long entrenched in Northern and Eastern electoral behaviour, may be losing traction in favour of a more pragmatic, development-oriented outlook.
A central question raised during the programme was whether the NPP government can effectively address Tamil grievances through what analysts termed a “Tamil lens”—that is, recognising the distinct historical, social, and political dimensions of Tamil issues rather than subsuming them under a generic national framework. This remains a challenge for the administration, particularly given the complex role of the Tamil diaspora, whose narratives and political activism often intersect, and at times clash, with domestic realities.
Analysts cautioned that even positive policy measures taken by the government can be reframed by sections of the diaspora as steps towards militarisation or centralisation. Addressing these perceptions requires careful political communication, transparency, and sustained engagement.
It was in this context that President Dissanayake’s recent public remarks drew particular attention. In a speech referenced during the TBC discussion, the President strongly criticised extremist elements across communal lines. He noted that certain Sinhala extremist groups, whose activities around sensitive religious sites and events have contributed to communal disharmony, pose a direct threat to national unity. At the same time, he acknowledged that a small number of Tamil nationalist extremists also continue to work against reconciliation and peace.
Tamil commentators broadly welcomed this balanced stance. “For many Tamils,” one analyst observed, “this was the first time a President so clearly identified extremism within the majority community as a problem, without deflection or qualification. It demonstrated political courage and moral clarity.”
The President’s warning, according to the programme, resonated deeply because it reinforced a core message: under the NPP government, there will be no tolerance for divisions that undermine social cohesion, regardless of their source. This message, analysts argued, aligns with the lived aspirations of most Tamil citizens, who overwhelmingly seek stability, dignity, and economic opportunity within a united Sri Lanka.
Looking ahead, the TBC panel discussed the potential electoral implications of this shifting political landscape. If current trends continue, analysts suggested that the NPP could secure significant support from Tamil voters in upcoming Provincial Council elections. Such an outcome would represent a historic challenge to traditional Tamil political parties and could fundamentally alter the balance of regional politics.
This emerging dynamic may also explain the increasingly vocal criticism from some Tamil politicians regarding government welfare initiatives, including the newly introduced nutrition programme. While critics have labelled the programme as political propaganda, analysts pointed out that these objections have not been accompanied by credible alternative proposals. Many Tamil parties, the discussion noted, have participated in coalition governments in the past but failed to meaningfully address chronic issues such as child malnutrition and rural poverty in Tamil-majority areas.
“In contrast,” one analyst concluded, “the NPP government is acting. When people see results, accusations alone are not enough.”
As President Anura Kumara Dissanayake continues to consolidate his political outreach in the North and East, the Pongal visit may come to be seen as a defining moment—one that signalled a departure from symbolic reconciliation towards a more substantive, people-centred engagement. Whether this momentum can be sustained through policy delivery and inclusive dialogue remains to be seen, but for now, the political mood in the North suggests a cautious but genuine openness to a new national chapter.