Wimal yells out in parliament ....
protesting against giving position of Opposition Leader to Sambandan (audio)
The Speaker announced that Mr. R. Sambandan has been appointed as the Opposition Leader of
parliament when the parliament assembled this morning.The Speaker announced that there was a proposal in this respect only from one person and since no person has been suggested either by the United People's Alliance or the JVP or from any other Party, he would unanimously be appointed. After it was announced that the Tamil Alliance who were able to secure the biggest number of Seats of the Opposition and R. Sambandan to whom the post of Opposition Leader was bestowed MP Wimal Weeravansha got into a violent rage and what he said by expressing his ideas was that a letter with signatures of 56 MPs requesting that Mr. Kumara Welgama be appointed as the Opposition Leader has been forwarded to the President Maithripala Sirisena. What the Speaker said in response was that no such letter has been forwarded to him.
Wimal then once again shouted out and said, "this government cannot be allowed to carry on by appointing an Opposition Party as and how the government wants and thus move towards a dictatorship. Don't even permit MPs to speak .... MPs can't go out .... this is a strange situation no ...".
What Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasingha said was that the said letter has been handed over to the Chairman of the Party and not to the Speaker and that there was no point in talking about a letter. He also reminded that the President could have been inquired from yesterday at Polonnaruwa as to whether that letter has been handed over or not. He also pointed out that he does not like the parliament proceeding in this manner as on the previous occasion and that everyone should work together in co-operation.
Though Wimal lost his temper for the reason of dealing with the Tamil Alliance who profess a national opinion entirely contrary in the face of Wimal's Jathika Nidahas Peramuna, nobody else spoke against the decision of the Speaker on this occasion.
Video of how Wimal bawled out and how the Prime Minister explained matters, from below