Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremasinghe and Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe have clashed in a major confrontation over the setting up of a seven member high profile Interim Committee to administer cricket that was temporary overtuned by court on Tuesday.
The clash took place behind closed doors when President Wickremasinghe ordered the Minister to withdraw the Interim Committee he set up after sacking the corruption ridden cricket administration on Friday.
President Wickremasinghe then went as far as threatening Minister Ranasinghe that he would take the Sports Law into his hand if the Interim Committee was not withdrawn.
But Minister Ranasinghe then hit back and told President Wickremasinghe that in no way will he withdraw the Interim Committee.
” I told the President you don’t have to take the Sports Law into your hands, just sack me and do anything you want”, Minister Ranasinghe told Parliament.
Minister Ranasinghe found plenty of support come his way not only from his fellow Ministers in Parliament but also from Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
“Cricket has hit the dumps in this country and the President is responsible. We cannot allow this to go on any longer and I will even sacrifice my life to rid cricket of corruption”, said Premadasa.
Minister Ranasinghe also found a crusader in Opposition law maker and one time sports minister Lakshman Kiriella who said that he (Ranasinghe) had all the powers vested in him to set up an Interim Committee.
