Sivajilingam reveals reason Mahinda lost Muslim votes Featured

The actions of the Bodu Bala Sena was the main reason for the defeat of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the last Presidential election, said TNA Northern province MP, M. K. Sivajilingam.

He said after the carnage created in Beruwala by the BBS, the former President lost over 99 percent of the Muslim votes.

He said if the current Maithripala Sirisena government too takes the same path it is wrong. Sivajilingam said this in response to an anti-Muslim statement by Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, during a high level discussion with the President on the preservation of Sri Lanka’s archaeological inheritance, released by the President’s Media unit recently.

Sinhala Buddhists:

Sivajilingam said he had no animorcity or condemnation of the Sinhala people nor the Buddhist clergy, but he was only criticising the racial statements made by Galagodaaththe Gnanasara thera and Ampitiye Sumanarathana thera.

He pointed out that all Sri Lankans be it Sinhala, Tamil or Muslims, should all live together in harmony and if the President’s media unit is acting in a manner that creates racial tensions, the country could face tremendous difficulties.

The President’s media unit had released a video of Gnanasara thera accusing the Muslims of deliberately destroying archaeological artefacts as it is stated in stated in their religion.