Video: Ravi points finger at bankrupt politicians

31 July 2015 12:07 pm

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said the shooting at Kotahena was a breach of democratic principles and was sponsored by bankrupt opposition politicians.

He said it came in the wake of several incidents that happened in the past 10 days echoing what happened during the Rajapaksa regime.

The minister said today's shooting came in the backdrop of the seizing of a white van, arrest of two drug kingpins, the recovery of a remote-controlled bomb, the finding of a body in Fort and the seizing of two containers of ethanol and cigarettes.

He told a hurriedly arranged news conference that they had faced several threats during the recent past but would not allow such acts to intimidate them and added that this could be an attempt at reviving the activities of the Rajapaksa rule.

“What we want is to eradicate such activities and create a freer and cleaner society. We won't be scared or intimidated by these activities,” he said.

In response to a question whether there was an involvement of underworld gangs in the shooting incident, the minister he did not have any connections with them.

When asked whether this shooting had targeted him, he said it had targeted the entire government and an attempt to show that there was terrorism in the country.

"We must not allow the hard fought freedoms and the climate of peace brought about by the silent revolution of January 8 to be destroyed," the minister said. (Ajith Siriwardana)

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Pix by Kithsiri de Mel