Diana-Sujith heated confrontation erupts in Parliament

Saturday, 21 October 2023 00:27 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In a dramatic turn of events, State Minister Diana Gamage accused Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Sujith Sanjaya Perera of assaulting her outside the Parliamentary Chambers yesterday.

This heated exchange led to an adjournment of the Parliamentary sitting for 10 minutes at the request of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, as tensions ran high.

The incident reportedly took place near the Parliament’s library, prompting the State Minister to call for a thorough investigation into the matter.

State Minister urged the Speaker to ensure a swift and impartial inquiry, vowing to pursue legal action against MP Perera. Upon the resumption of the session, Chief Opposition Whip and SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella disclosed that Opposition MPs had met with Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and provided video footage allegedly showing State Minister Gamage using offensive language and exhibiting disorderly conduct. In his defence, MP Perera claimed that he witnessed State Minister Gamage getting into a bitter argument with his colleague MP Rohana Bandara. He said when he asked them to calm down, MP Gamage struck him.

“You will be able to see what really happened and how MP Gamage behaved if you check the CCTV footage,” MP Perera asserted during the session, urging the Deputy Speaker to direct an impartial investigation. Meanwhile, MP Bandara also claimed that the State Minister followed and verbally assaulted him near the lift. “When we are insulted or attacked, we must defend ourselves as men,” he added.