Sumanthiran said the Tamils want the final solution to be a federal one, adding that the founder of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) SWRD Bandaranaike in 1926 had stated that federalism was the best solution. The SLFP, currently led by President Maithripala Sirisena, forms part of Sri Lanka’s ruling alliance. “Treat us (Tamils) as equals, we are Sri Lankans,” Sumanthiran said adding that “to erase the bitter past there must be dignity, equality of all in the country.”