Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam

¶ 01 Hon. Arun Hemachandra, I did not speak of irregularities. Perhaps you rushed into the Chamber. Your Government’s actions have cost you 11 of 12 local authorities in Batticaloa; you will likely lose the last one too. As District Development Committee Chairman, you still lost them. Please listen to what is being said.

¶ 02 Mr. Speaker, before concluding, let me say this: in Batticaloa there are 12 councils; 11 have been constituted. The NPP could not secure even a Deputy Mayor or Deputy Chairman in any municipal or Pradeshiya Sabha due to this sort of behaviour. We will constitute the 12th as well. But the Government should be ashamed: Pillayan is in prison over the Easter attacks and other murders. Yet to secure power, your party worked with his party. They approached us—the ITAK—saying “let us support you to form councils.” We refused on principle. But the NPP made deals with Pillayan in Sainthamaruthu and Kaluwanchikudy. I do not think the top leadership or the President made such an agreement; perhaps it was at district level. We will not join them; the NPP, desperate for power, allied with Pillayan at Kaluwanchikudy PS. I have presented progressive ideas today, focusing on regional issues and asking why our youths cannot even attend international tournaments to develop, while others accuse me of being in the Blue Brigade.