Veteran Tamil politician MP R. Sampanthan, 91, passed away yesterday at a private hospital in Colombo, a party official said.

Mr. Sampanthan, an eloquent speaker, advocated a political settlement to what he used to call the ‘Tamil national question’ within a united Sri Lanka through peaceful means. He first entered Parliament in 1977. He remained an MP till 1983.  Again, he served as an MP from 1997 to 2000.

After the formation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) - an amalgam of Tamil parties in 2001, he became the leader of it. He also served as the leader of the opposition between 2015 and 2018.