Kataragama Devale money to Shashindra’s election campaign

 Friday, 15 August 2014 

More than 80 per cent of the money collected as offerings at the Kataragama Maha Devale is stuffed into gunny sacks every night and taken out, a group of officials of the Devale told ‘Lanka News Web.’

The currency notes and coins are taken to be spent for the election campaign of the Devale’s Basnayake Nilame Shashindra Rajapaksa, they say. In the past, he had claimed more than 50 pc of the money offered by devotees in the baskets of offerings to the Devale, but that has now been increased to 80 pc on account of the election campaign. The balance money is insufficient for the maintenance work of the Devale and for the payment of salaries of the staff, etc., according to them.

Before gaining political power, Shashindra was an average marketing executive at Metropolitan Company, but now, he has become a very wealthy man due to the political power he is enjoying and because of the position of the Basnayake Nilame. He has already spent Rs. 500 million on his election campaign. Most part of it goes to deceive the helpless people and obtain their votes by way of distributing various goods among them. The Uva PC has become one of the most inefficient and corrupt provincial councils, and Shashindra’s preferential votes this time will come down by more than 50 pc, a government opinion poll has revealed.