PM is in favor of racial issues flaring up - JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake

Colombo (News1st) - Speaking in Parliament today JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake stated that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is in favor of racial issues flaring up in the country, as it diverts attention from other issues. While noting that there are serious allegations of fraud and corruption against some of the Ministers that resigned on Monday (June 3), MP Rathnayake claimed that there are some individuals who resigned yesterday who did not say a word when the Muslim community in Digana and Aluthgama were being attacked. He stated that while it is clear that the Muslim community as a whole did not support the extremists, the continuous attacks against the Muslim community pushed their representatives to a point which was earlier seen in the 1980's when the TULF reached a similar decision. Rathnayake believes that the President, PM and the Cabinet of ministers should all resign because they were aware of the 4/21 attacks and did not do anything to stop it. He adds that cabinet ministers resigning to such a matter is acceptable while ministers resigning on the basis of their ethnicity is unacceptable. He continues to state that this issue was framed in a racist manner. The JVP MP also stated that they would have joined Ven. Athuraliye Rathana thero's fast if it called for the sacking of the entire Government instead of a few select individuals. He went onto state that PM Wickremesinghe is in favor of the current situation because the people do not speak about other pressing issues. He charged that the likes of Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila have entered into clandestine pacts with the PM, and that is the reason why they filed a no-confidence motion against certain individuals and not against the President of the PM. He concluded by stating that the no-confidence motion submitted by the JO has become void because Rishad Bathiudeen is no longer a Minister.