The Tiger rebels have cast off widespread allegation in the South that they have accepted bribes from President Mahinda Rajapaksa as part of a secret deal to prevent the Tamil people living in the North and the East from voting in the 2005 presidential polls to ensure his victory.

“There is absolutely no truth in the allegation among the southern political parties that we have entered into a deal with Mahinda Rajapaksa and accepted a large sum of money during and after the 2005 presidential polls,” LTTE’s political wing head, S P Thamilselvan said in an interview with the Jaffna-based Uthayan on Tuesday.

Describing the charge as “usual campaigns carried out by the southern political parties for their own political power struggle using our name”, he said the rebel outfit “being the sole representative of the Tamil people” took a firm decision considering various political backgrounds and “guided the Tamil people accordingly” in the polls.

“But it will be an act to tarnish our freedom struggle if anyone says we accepted financial bribes for a political decision,” Thamilselvan was quoted as saying by the Tamil newspaper.

The LTTE prevented the Tamil people mainly living under its control from taking part in the 2005 polls, a move widely seen as a key factor that helped the then presidential candidate Rajapaksa to defeat Ranil Wickremesinghe with a narrow margin and be elected the fifth executive President of Sri Lanka.

The bribe allegation was debated in Parliament last month. A Parliamentary Select Committee has also been set up to probe the alleged deal. Both parties attempted to establish links making a serious allegation.

Thamilselvan, however, has conceded that there were attempts from both the Rajapaksa and the Wickremesinghe camp to establish contacts with us during the run up to the 2005 presidential poll to seek their support.