The NPP government has failed to properly address the allegations he raised and is instead focusing on the accuracy of a photograph, MP S.M. Marikkar said.
Speaking during a televised interview, Marikkar responded to accusations by NPP MP Jagath Manuwarna, who claimed that Marikkar had misled Parliament and the public using an incorrect image.
Addressing Parliament, MP Manuwarna said the opposition MP had presented a photograph taken during the 1983 Black July riots in Sri Lanka.
“If they are correct, I’m ready to accept that,” Marikkar said, but added that the government had failed to respond to the core issues about the JVP insurrections.
“They admit to having a spiritual leader who ranks above the President, Prime Minister, and Cabinet. This is why we say that this spiritual leader controls and operates from the Pelawatte headquarters,” he said.
Marikkar further said that his full speech raised multiple concerns, including a series of murders, from Stanley Wijesinghe to Saddhatissa Thera. He also claimed that NPP leaders have acknowledged bearing arms.
Stating that the government members have a right to dispute the photograph, Marikkar said they have ignored the broader issues, as they have done in the past.
“They only say the photo is wrong, not the process,” Marikkar said, adding that while disputing the image, the government has also admitted to having a spiritual leader and being linked to various murders and assassinations.
Challenging the government to respond directly, Marikkar accused them of focusing on a single aspect of his argument instead of addressing the larger concerns.
He stressed that he had not tabled the photograph in Parliament and reiterated his willingness to accept if he was wrong.
“Did they kill or not? Have they made any effort to reveal commission reports on these killings over the past 25 years? They are not answering these questions,” Marikkar said. (Newswire)
