Former Provincial Councilor Waruna Rajapaksa has accused the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) of turning its youth conference into a scandalous display of waste, with nearly Rs. 40 million spent and millions allegedly mismanaged in questionable contracts.
The youth conference organized by the Socialist Youth Union at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium reportedly cost Rs. 38.8 million, according to an expense sheet signed off by Rahul Samantha. Major allocations were listed for buses, advertising, entertainment, and branded merchandise. Rajapaksa, however, questioned the integrity of these expenditures, pointing out glaring discrepancies in the breakdown.
One of the most controversial expenses was the cost of refreshments. While a basic tea was priced at Rs. 290 per participant, the same report lists “elite tea” at an astonishing Rs. 2,625 per head. Rajapaksa slammed this as hypocrisy, arguing that a movement that claims to fight elitism is now openly practicing double standards by creating separate categories of “ordinary tea” and “elite tea.”
The largest slice of spending went toward T-shirts. A staggering Rs. 11.8 million was allocated for printing 7,500 shirts. Yet, according to Rajapaksa, only about 3,000 people actually attended the conference, while the Sugathadasa Stadium itself cannot accommodate more than 4,000. This raised questions about why nearly double the number of shirts were produced compared to the size of the audience.
The T-shirt deal was awarded to Chaya Tex, a company on Weera Mawatha, Pannipitiya, which Rajapaksa claims has since shut down. Even more suspicious, the contract reportedly bypassed the winning bidder and was handed to the second-placed party in the tender. Rajapaksa alleges this reflects a deliberate attempt to create space for “business deals” under the guise of revolutionary politics.
The JVP staged the event under the symbol of Che Guevara, branding it as a call for new politics. Rajapaksa ridiculed the move, comparing it to liquor shop “Che Clubs” that exploit Guevara’s image for profit. He accused the party leadership of betraying Guevara’s legacy by commodifying his symbol while engaging in corrupt practices.
Rajapaksa concluded that the youth conference not only betrayed the trust of ordinary participants but also exposed the leadership’s growing detachment from the ideals it preaches. By dividing refreshments into elite and non-elite categories and inflating T-shirt contracts through a closed company, he alleged that the JVP had reduced its political message to little more than a “profitable business deal.”
