Leader of the TMVP,(former LTTE combatant} Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council before President Mahinda Rajapaksa May 16th evening at the President Secretariat.Pilleyan ia 30 years old and very youngest Chief Minister in Sri Lanka.
Chandrakanthan obtained the highest number of preferential votes from the Batticaloa District in the recently concluded Provincial Council elections.He is the second Chief Minister in the Eastern Province. Mr. Vardharaja Perumal is the First Chief Minister for Eastern province. But he was not only for the Eastern province Chief Minister. He was the North and East Chief Minister. But Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan is the only for Eastern Province Chief Minister.Hence Pilleyan is the first Chief minister for Only East(without Northern Province).
There are five ministerial posts in the Eastern Provincial Councils and they were accorded as follows:
Thureiappah Navaratnarajah (Minister of Agriculture, Livestock Development, Rural Industrial Development and Fisheries), Wimalaweera Dissanayake (Minister of Education, Cultural affairs, Lands and Land Development, and Transport), Meera Sahiby Uduma Lebbe (Minister of Road Development, Irrigation, Housing and Construction, Rural Electrification and Water Supply), and Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Finance and Planning, Law and Order, Provincial Administration, Human Resource Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Rural Development, Tourism and Environment).
Another ministerial appointment has been reserved for a Muslim representative, while the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Leader of the House and Chief Government Whip are yet to be named.
Hisbullla team boycott the swearing-in ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Hisbulla Group councilors sent a letter to the Governor of the Eastern Province, Rear Admiral Mohan Jayawickrama protesting the appointment of Pillaiyan as the Chief Minister.Hisbullla team boycott the swearing-in ceremony.
Mr. Hisbulla says that he, together with Mohammed Sali and Mohammed Subair signed the letter sent to the Governor. He has informed that the three councilors will act as an independent group in the Provincial Council.
Before sending the hasty letter, Mr. Hisbulla agreed appointing Pillaiyan as Chief Minister at a discussion held this morning with the President.
Hisbulla who resigned from Sri Lanka Muslim Congress joined with the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) expecting the Chief Minister post and together with the other two members.
