August 24, Colombo (LNW): Addressing supporters at a party event in Beruwala yesterday (23), Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa accused the current government, led by the National People’s Power (NPP), of orchestrating the arrest of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe as a political smokescreen to divert attention from mounting corruption allegations against its own ranks.
Rajapaksa claimed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had been weaponised by the government in a calculated effort to deflect public scrutiny. According to him, the arrest was less about justice and more about shifting focus away from issues such as suspicious tender procedures and alleged misconduct involving high-ranking government figures.
“We visited the CID yesterday following the arrest of Mr Wickremesinghe. We understand the weight of politically driven vengeance because we have endured it ourselves. My entire family has been a target,” he remarked, referencing what he described as a long history of political persecution. “If we think about who has suffered most from political revenge in this country, Lady Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President Mahinda Rajapaksa come to mind — both victims of United National Party-led governments. But we never responded with retaliation. We faced it and moved forward. That’s not a path we are willing to inflict on others.”
He went further, accusing the NPP of attempting to undermine Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions by using state power to enforce a hidden political agenda. “What could not be achieved through violence in the late ’80s or through decades of separatist war is now being attempted through administrative suppression,” he warned. “The JVP, operating under the NPP umbrella, is steering this country dangerously close to authoritarianism.”
Rajapaksa strongly criticised the government’s treatment of Wickremesinghe, noting that the former president was detained and interrogated over actions taken while in office. “If this is how a head of state ends up — jailed and questioned for doing his duty — what incentive does any future leader have to take bold decisions for the country?” he asked. “It sends a chilling message: lead, and you may be punished for it.”
The MP also listed a series of controversies he claims the government is attempting to bury — including alleged irregularities in coal tenders, the purported influence of a senior minister over the energy sector, and accusations of land grabs involving government figures. He also mentioned the recent abrupt transfer of a judge handling sensitive cases in Parliament, suggesting this too was part of a broader pattern of institutional interference.
“And while they’ve spent months boasting about launching a so-called ‘rocket’, it ends up crashing into the Pelawatte office. Is this the future they’ve promised?” he asked mockingly.
Rajapaksa accused the government of hiding its inefficiencies and policy failures behind a spectacle of law enforcement and spectacle arrests. “Dragging a former leader into this kind of drama doesn’t solve the people’s problems. It’s a deflection, pure and simple.”
Concluding his remarks, he issued a stark warning to the ruling administration: “We are facing a grave challenge to democracy. This government is using the machinery of the state to crush dissent and silence the opposition. But our patience has limits. If you want to lead this country, do so by honouring your promises — not by suppressing those who stand against you.”
He called on the government to stop its alleged campaign of repression and instead deliver on the pledges it made to the people, warning that further escalation would not be tolerated silently.
