19 June 2017 05:02 pm
He said they were accusing the JHU of hiding Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagodaatte Gnanasara thera.
The minister said certain media institutions were supporting this mud-slinging campaign against them and recalled that it was mud-slinging by the media institutions which led to the defeat of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He told a news conference that Mr. Rajapaksa should know the whereabouts of Gnanasara Thera if he telephoned the counsel who was appearing for the thera.
“It is the same counsel who appeared for Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Udaya Gammanpila, who is appearing for Gnanasara thera. He is a main orator of the “Viyath Maga” programme meant to bring Gotabaya to power. He may know the whereabouts of the Gnanasara thera,” he said.
The minister rejected the allegations made by BBS CEO Dilantha Vithanage that he and Athuraliye Rathana thera had given contracts to Gnanasara thera and said the JHU had no connection with Gnanasara thera after the 2004 election.
“We have no connection with Gnanasara thera. He supported Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2005, Sarath Fonseka in 2010 and Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015. He did not carry out any contracts for us,” he said.
He said there were no allegations against Gnanasara thera when he was working with the JHU and pointed out that the monk was in this situation only after he started working with NGO people like Dilantha Vithanage.
He said Muslims complain about their religious places of worship being attacked while Tamils and Sinhalese complain about their religious places being attacked.
“It is the responsibility of the police to take action against those responsible. Law should be implemented against everyone irrespective of their status. If Muslims and Tamils were also making hate speeches they also should be punished. Acts of violence is taking place throughout the world including Germany, Britain and the US,” the minister said.
He said a certain group which had links with global terrorism was operating in the country endangering democracy. (Ajith Siriwardana)