CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 
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Ven Kotapitiye Rahula Thera urges President and PM to retract controversial remarks
Colombo, February 21 (Daily Mirror) - Venerable Professor Kotapitiye Rahula Thera, Anunayake of the Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha, has called on the President and Prime Minister to withdraw their recent remarks made in Jaffna and Mannar, emphasizing that they should publicly apologize.
Speaking at the Maha Sangha Conference held at the Buddhist Maha Sammelana premises, Professor Kotapitiye Rahula Thera criticized statements that he said misrepresented the country’s social and religious harmony. He highlighted that claims of racism and religious conflict in the North are unfounded and have been propagated by extremist elements.
“The presidency is a position that can lead to salvation if exercised correctly, and destruction if misused,” he said, urging the President to retract the claim that southern Sri Lankans go to Jaffna to spread hatred rather than practice Buddhism. He also condemned remarks made by the Prime Minister in Mannar, calling for their immediate withdrawal.
The monk highlighted the importance of protecting Buddhist culture, the Tripitaka, the Sinhala and Pali languages, and the country’s customs, which he said have a continuous history of over 2,300 years. He also urged the leadership to exercise caution in public statements, noting that “the things you say are revealed to the country through today’s media.”
Professor Kotapitiye Rahula Thera concluded by acknowledging the contributions of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in ending the 30-year war in the North, highlighting that historically significant sites like Tissa Vihara in Jaffna should be respected rather than misrepresented.
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