In a statement issued following reports presented before court, Rajapaksa said prison records would confirm that he visited Chandrakanthan, widely known as Pillayan, during 2018 and 2019. He noted that Pillayan was at the time part of the political alliance with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and had contested both the 2015 Presidential Election and the 2018 Local Government Elections alongside them.
“It is no secret that I visited TMVP leader Sivasathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan, while he was in prison in 2018/19. In fact, prison records of my visits are very much available,” Rajapaksa stated.
The remarks come after allegations made during court proceedings connected to the Easter Sunday investigations reportedly referenced meetings between members of the Rajapaksa family and Pillayan.
Responding to reports that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers had travelled to France as part of the probe, Rajapaksa questioned the purpose and cost of the overseas investigation.
“Purportedly the CID travelled all the way to France to investigate the Easter attack, naturally this raises questions about the government’s priorities. If officers travelled all that way simply to confirm my visit to Pillayan, then it is clearly a waste of public funds,” he said.
Rajapaksa further noted that, to his knowledge, Pillayan is not currently being detained in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks and questioned what he described as attempts to create “media spectacles” around the investigation.
He also accused the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) of presenting differing narratives regarding the Easter attacks over time, warning against using the tragedy for political purposes.
“If the government is now trying to use this tragedy to target political opponents, it would be deeply unfair to the victims and their families, who still deserve genuine answers and justice,” he said.
The SLPP MP added that he and his party were prepared to cooperate fully with any fair investigation carried out by the CID.
“We are ready to face any fair inquiry and will cooperate fully with the CID to clear any doubts openly and transparently,” Rajapaksa said, urging the government to focus on “delivering meaningful results for the people of our country” rather than political controversies.
