Minister’s daughter tries to expel PM-appointed chairman

 Mar 25, 2017

The daughter of a powerful minister is trying to expel the Road Development Authority chairman Nihal Sooriyarachchi and appoint a crony of hers in his place, reports say. She is having animosity towards him due to his refusal to listen to her.

Sooriyarachchi was appointed the RDA chairman with agreement of the prime minister and it will not be an easy task to remove him from the position. Therefore, plans have been made by the minister’s daughter for a character assassination campaign against him through the media. Under the plans, journalists friendly with the minister will publish news against the RDA chairman.

Recently, she has forcibly taken charge of the money received by the RDA from the treasury.

Meanwhile, there are allegations that the minister’s daughter and a crony of hers have been threatening contractors and extorting money from them. Someone has brought this to the attention of the PM. There was talk in the ministry that her conduct had been exposed after that. Plans have been made to introduce her to politics in place of her father, the minister, at the next parliamentary election.

She is already being opposed by officials and employees of the ministry and that is yet to go public as she has the powers to either protect or end their jobs, sources add.

The RDA chairman is said to be a friend of minister Daya Gamage.