Vijayakala should be removed from Parliament - Navin

United National Party (UNP) leadership should take a bold step and remove former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran from the party as she cannot make statements calling for the resurgence of LTTE, its National Organizer Navin Dissanayake said yesterday.

Mr. Dissanayake made this comment at a media briefing held yesterday morning.

“Former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran should be removed from Parliament. She should be dealt with the same way the late Mr.amirthalingam and 16 TULF MPS were handled by late President J. R. Jayawardene. Mr. Jayewardene took a bold step and sacked these MPS from Parliament. We expect our leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to act in the same way.

UNP National Organizer said Ms. Maheswaran cannot utter things just because she is frustrated.

Mr. Dissanayake said he and the UNP’S Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa will not allow the party to move away from its current anti LTTE stand as long as they remain in its positions.

“Communal hatred is dangerous. UNP vehemently oppose this. Government is capable of facing any situation. The UNP also has the same capabilities. Several UNP leaders were killed by the LTTE. Therefore, we will not allow the LTTE to raise its head again. Both my father and our deputy leader Sajith Premadasa’s father were killed by the LTTE. Therefore, both of us will not allow our party to have a different view as long as we hold positions in it. UNP actually holds an anti LTTE stand,” Mr. Dissanayake said.

He charged that the opposition had taken up a dangerous line and is arousing communal hatred.“they say we are going to bring in a new constitution and security forces camps are to be closed in the North.we dismiss all these allegations. I talked to the army commander recently and he said not a single camp had been dismantled,” he said.

However, he said LTTE has been commemorated a few times in the North but the government has had no hand in it. Mr. Dissanayake said pro LTTE forces had held some commemorations without the consent of the government.“people have a right to hold any function but one cannot commemorate LTTE.THESE are done instantly.” He said. Referring to a statement made by former Minister Profesor G. L. Peiris that Sri Lanka should leave the UN Human Rights Council cannot be accepted.“we don’t have to get out of it just because USA withdrew from it. We feel that we should remain in it and to seek a victory ideologically. USA’S exist will give more strength to Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council. USA and UK worked against us in the Human Rights Councils. We faced these situations successfully. Rajapaksa administration could not do it. It is better to remain in it and fight. USA is being criticized by its own allies for withdrawing from UN,” the Minister said.