In a scathing attack on former rouge Member of Parliament Diana Gamage and his onetime fellow politicians Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara, outspoken member of the Samagi Jana Balavegeya (SJB) Rohana Bandara ripped opened the trio at a Press conference that could have serious repercussions in the run-up to October’s Presidential election.
Bandara in the course of his verbal onslaught on Diana Gamage begged forgiveness for accepting her credentials blindly and making her a Member of Parliament from the SJB list while unmasking both Fernando and Nanayakkara as hypocrites.
Bandara said he had already lodged a Petition in the Supreme Court against Diana Gamage for Contempt of Court after she went public and refused to accept the verdict that proved she was a British citizen and cannot remain in Parliament, while at the same time calling it politically motivated.
He also said he was in the process of filing another Petition in the Supreme Court against Diana Gamage’s misuse of public funds as an illegitimate Member of Parliament, accepting a monthly remuneration and lying in Parliament under oath whenever her citizenship came in for questioning.
“I admit it was a lapse on our (SJB) part for accepting documents submitted by Diana Gamage from the Department of Immigration and Emigration as well as the Registration of Persons to the effect that she was a Sri Lankan citizen who did not hold a British passport. I apologize to the people of this country for the lapse on our part”, said Bandara.
Answering a question put to him that several SJB members were ready to cross over to the United National Party (UNP) ahead of the election, Bandara said it was a mere rumour and that no one else will follow in the footsteps of Fernand and Nanayakkara who are now Ministers in the government.
He played the media a past recording saying it was Nanayakkara who was swearing allegiance to the SJB come hell or high water.
“Please take a listen”, he told the media. “Here is Manusha Nanayakkara saying he will not accept any remuneration with his leader Sajith Premadasa as President, that he will not accept a vehicle and that he will stay loyal to the SJB without crossing over to a rival party. This is the difference between Manusha Nanayakkara in 2019 and 2024”, said Bandara.
He also called on Fernando to take down the SJB’s party symbol of the Telephone from his (Fernando’s) office in Wattala.
“Harin, you have left us (SJB), so stay that way. Come out and face me and I will reply to you in an easy-to-understand Sinhalese”, said Bandara.
