Govt allies condemn SLPP statement against Udaya Gammanpila

The leaders of eight political parties - the allies of the government with parliamentary representation, have condemned the move to palm off the responsibility of the fuel price hike on Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila.

Issuing a press statement, the leaders of these parties said General Secretary of SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) Sagara Kariyawasam tried to hold Minister Gammanpila solely responsible for the price hike despite it being a government decision taken with the participation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The statement has been signed by Water Supply Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara of the Democratic Left Front, Industry Minister Wimal Weerawansa of the National Freedom Front, MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera of Our Power of People’s Party, MP A.L.M. Athaullaha of National Congress, MP Prof. Tissa Vitarana of Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), MP W. Weerasinghe of Communist Party , MP Tiran Alles of Eksath Mahajana Party and MP Asanka Navaratne of Sri Lanka Mahajana Party.

They said in the statement that the government and the people were in the grip of a crisis triggered by the pandemic.

In such a context, any government would be compelled to take some unpopular decisions and the fuel price hike was one of them.

Emphasising the need to give redress to the low income groups under these circumstances, they said they unequivocally condemned the move to blame the price revision on the subject minister.

They said the SLPP General Secretary had created doubts in the minds of people about factionalism of the government by putting out such a statement. (Kelum Bandara)