Two government coalition parties campaigning against Muslim ally of Sri Lanka government
Sun, Mar 2, 2014, 10:57 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sun, Mar 2, 2014, 10:57 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
The National Freedom Front (NFF) led by Minister Wimal Weerawansa said the leader of the SLMC Minister of Justice Rauf Hakeem had written to UNHRC and Muslim states about the alleged injustices to the Muslims in the island.
NFF politburo member Mohammed Muzammil said the SLMC had concocted facts to discredit the government.
Media spokesman of the ruling coalition party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe pointed out that Minister Hakeem could not remain in the government in this context.
A local Daily Mirror report said that the "irate" President Mahinda Rajapaksa severely criticized Minister Hakeem's action at the last cabinet meeting.
Minister Hakeem at a public event admitted that there was a warm verbal exchange and said it was normal in cabinet meetings.
However, the report said that the President had asked the SLMC leader to decide whether to stay in the government or leave.
Reportedly the SLMC Secretary has given a 50-page document to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay during her visit to Sri Lanka last August.
The SLMC document has reportedly highlighted the attacks on the Muslims and Christians in the country by Buddhist extremists and the government's failure to take any action on the attacks.
The Daily Mirror report further said that the High Commissioner has leaked the document to the Tamil Diaspora and they were visiting Muslim countries friendly to Sri Lanka in an effort to turn their votes against Sri Lanka when the US- sponsored resolution is presented at the UNHRC sessions.
The SLMC leader has denied that he had any control over the document given to Pillay by the party secretary.