Anandha Palitha Urges Opposition to Take to the Streets Against Controversial Bills, Questions Sunil Watagala’s Authority

Anandha Palitha has called on opposition parties to move beyond focusing on the national budget and take to the streets to demand the withdrawal of controversial proposed legislation.

Speaking at a media briefing organised by the Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance, Palitha questioned the role played by Sunil Watagala in relation to the proposed bills, asking whether Watagala was acting above the President.

He pointed out that the President had stated that the legislation would not be passed hastily. However, Watagala had reportedly indicated that the government would proceed with passing the bills.

Palitha urged the President to immediately withdraw the proposed legislation from Parliament, while expressing his appreciation for the President's recent statement on the matter.

Commenting on the recent flooding in Colombo, he criticised the government's development programme, saying that a single spell of heavy rain had left large parts of the city flooded. He also questioned the involvement of Watagala rather than the Colombo Mayor in addressing the situation.

He further argued that the government had come to power promising change and should focus on delivering new initiatives instead of repeatedly discussing the failures of previous administrations.

Turning to the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, Palitha rejected claims by the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation that the previous government had attempted to shut down the refinery, describing the statement as an outright falsehood.

He cautioned against making false statements that could place the President in an embarrassing position.

Palitha also criticised the police for preventing Buddhist monks from conducting a Satyagraha even at a sacred religious site. He said such incidents were among the reasons his group opposed the proposed PSTA legislation.

He reiterated his call for the immediate withdrawal of the controversial bills and urged the government to address the concerns raised by trade unions and other groups.