Gammanpila’s talk of armed struggle shouted down

 

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader Udaya Gammanpila’s speech in parliament was met with protests by some government members when he mentioned an armed struggle. In his speech to extend his congratulations to new Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, he said the parties had unanimously elected the new Speaker.

He said there were attempts to revive federalism in the new parliament to achieve certain objectives which were initially tried through an armed struggle.

Mr. Gammanpila said the armed struggle was defeated militarily and it would not serve the intended purpose if the same were allowed to be achieved through federalism. He met with voices raised in protest at this moment.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe got up and asked Mr. Gammanpila to stick to the matter at hand rather than talking about an armed struggle which was outside the subject. Mr. Gammanpila was elected to parliament on United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) ticket.