27 August 2020 11:53 am
Heated arguments erupted in the House today over the inclusion of the statement made by Tamil People's National Alliance MP C.V. Wigneswaran in the Hansard despite requests made by the Opposition to expunge it.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Manusha Nanayakkara pointed out that he requested the Speaker to expunge from the Hansard the statement made by MP Wigneswaran claiming that the Tamil Language was the first language in Sri Lanka. However, it was included in the Hansard.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Nalin Bandara said MP Wigneswaran had violated the oath he had taken in Parliament not to support or advocate a separate State soon after an hour and said he could even be removed as an MP for making such a statement.
Government MP Shantha Bandara, who joined the cross talk, said there were occasions where statements made against the Constitution had been expunged from the Hansard in the past and requested the Speaker to expunge this statement similarly.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane clarifying the inclusion of the statement in the Hansard said any MP had a right to express his or her point view in the House and said it was not against the Privileges Act.
Meanwhile, Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Rauff Hakeem, who joined the cross talk, admired the ruling of the Speaker saying that the Speaker’s ruling was perfectly correct in keeping with the Privileges Act.
“If anyone deemed that MP Wigneswaran had violated the Constitution, they could complain to the Police,” he said. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)