Senior member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera last week issued a challenge to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. Amaraweera challenged Rasamanickam to prove that a minister representing the SLFP was involved in alleged sand mining in the Eastern Province with the aim of selling the sand to the Maldives. Amaraweera claimed that he was prepared to resign from his portfolio as well as his parliamentary seat if the TNA MP provided evidence to prove that a minister of the SLFP was involved in the alleged project. Rasamanickam told Parliament last week that a minister of the SLFP was involved in a sand racket in the East. Responding to the allegation, the Environment Minister claimed that there was no truth to the allegation levelled by MP Rasamanickam.

Source: The Nation September 11, 2021 18:56 UTC