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JVP ‘plants’ sabotaged protest, alleges SJB

04 Nov 2022

  • SJB’s Hesha Withanage claims JVP/AKD are Ranil’s puppets
  • JVP’s Handunnetti says no comment
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Claiming that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and its leader, National People’s Power (NPP) Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, were politically tamed during the 2015-2019 period by then-Prime Minister and current President Ranil Wickremesinghe and continue to be so, the main Parliamentary Opposition, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), alleged that the JVP had planted individuals to sabotage Wednesday’s (2) anti-Government protest held in Colombo against President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the incumbent Government. Commenting on the JVP’s non-participation in the protest, SJB Ratnapura District MP Hesha Withanage said: “First of all, we need to question why the JVP did not participate in this protest. When the UNP and the SLPP continue to loot this country, there is no reason to stop the JVP from being involved in this. They showed a different colour and harmony by joining with the Rajapaksas (a reference to former Presidents Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa) and Wickremesinghe on Wednesday.  “The JVP and Dissanayake were tamed by Wickremesinghe from 2015 to 2019 and they are still being tamed by him today. Otherwise, the JVP would not have avoided this protest, which was held against the arrests of university students and the Government’s suppression." Speaking to The Morning yesterday (3), Withanage said that the SJB, as the main Parliamentary Opposition, had decided to participate in the protest against the Wickremesinghe-led Government with the intention of supporting the programme launched by civil organisations and student movements against the suppressive programme of the Government. He alleged that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the United National Party (UNP), which had not participated in the protest, had also planted people in the crowd to sabotage it. Although the protest was proceeding well initially, he said that certain parties had sought the support of MPs including Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa to break through the human barrier that had been put up in front of the Railways Department Headquarters by the Police. He alleged that this was done by certain parties in an attempt to create conflict between the Police and the protestors. However, he said that the SJB rejected such demands, as they could not engage in such acts, being the main Parliamentary Opposition. “It is the SLPP, the UNP, and the JVP that did not participate in this protest. Therefore, they may have wanted to sabotage the protest. The JVP also has a separate agenda. Therefore, what we feel is that all these parties worked to sabotage the protest by planting individuals in a planned manner. There were several such individuals whom we recognised, and they avoided us when we tried to speak to them,” claimed Withanage. Speaking further, he said that the SJB’s aim was to simply pass a sound message to the Government, and not to create or become involved in conflict. He said that a few individuals participating in the protest had even wanted to use a truck to break through the human barrier set up by the Police but that Premadasa and other MPs had strongly objected to that move.  In light of these circumstances, he defended the decisions taken by Premadasa and other MPs, saying that they were the best decisions that could have been taken at the time.  “A majority of the participants did not intend to create conflicts, but a few participants and those who were planted by certain parties may have wanted to do so. We only wanted to question the Government’s dual policy of not obstructing protests attended by MPs, while those that are not attended by MPs are obstructed. We have conveyed the message to the Government and have achieved our goal,” claimed Withanage. As the Opposition, he said, the SJB will extend its conditional support to any party such as civil organisations and student movements against the Government. He further warned that if the Government continues to carry out its suppressive programme, the SJB will organise a massive protest in the time to come with the participation of party members. In addition, he said that the SJB will participate in other programmes launched by various parties against the Government’s suppression. When contacted by The Morning to inquire about the allegation made by Withanage, JVP Politburo Member Sunil Handunnetti said: “There is no comment to be made on the matter.” The much-hyped protest organised by several political parties, including the SJB, alongside civil organisations and trade unions which took place on Wednesday, fizzled out into an anti-climax amidst protestors arguing with each other about the level of aggression and perseverance that should be employed as well as the true intent of the MPs leading the protest. Mainstream political parties and MPs including Premadasa were seen being criticised by the protestors, and the protest ended with the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), “aragalaya” (struggle) activists, the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF), and the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) warning of another “aragalaya” soon.


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