Rajapaksa said the Minister had recently made remarks targeting the Chief Incumbent of the Mihintale Rajamaha Viharaya and had referred to Venerable Walawahangunawewe Dhammarathana Thera in derogatory terms, which he described as an unacceptable attack on a senior Buddhist monk.
Citing the ICCPR Act, Rajapaksa noted that the law prohibits the incitement of national, racial or religious hatred, including acts that encourage discrimination, hostility or violence. He said the Minister’s comments appeared to fall within this scope and questioned what legal steps the government intends to take in response.
He further claimed that if a similar offence had been committed by an ordinary citizen or an opposition figure, immediate legal action would have followed, but the government was remaining silent in this case.
Rajapaksa added that while differences of opinion between politicians and the Maha Sangha are not uncommon, he believes no political leader in Sri Lanka’s history has spoken about the Maha Sangha in such a manner.
