He made these remarks to the media on February 16, 2026, after participating in a field inspection of the ‘Stadiumgama’ housing complex under construction on Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha, Colombo 14.
“A people’s government has been created today, and this government respects the past people’s struggle and gives it value by expressing trust in it,” the Deputy Minister said.
“We always approve of the people’s uprising. It is a movement that will be approved tomorrow, in the future and in history. We are here to give it strength and courage.”
He noted that more than four years have passed since the height of the protests, adding that around 300 cases are linked to the struggle, while nearly 3,000 individuals have been referred to various courts on suspicion.
“As a populist government, we are loyal to this struggle. It is a people’s uprising. There is no debate about that,” he said.
Gunasekara stressed that the primary aim of the uprising was social justice and accountability, describing it as a reaction to political decisions that “bankrupted the country and dragged it into an abyss.”
