Heated situation erupts in Parliament over Sajith Premadasa's privileges

A heated exchange has erupted in Parliament today over an issue concerning the alleged violation of the parliamentary privileges of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.

The matter has sparked tension among members of Parliament, leading to a heated atmosphere in the House.

A tense situation arose in Parliament today (03) after the Opposition protested Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih’s refusal to immediately allow several privilege issues, including the no-confidence motion against Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, to be raised in the House.

Responding to the Opposition’s objections, Deputy Speaker Salih said he had received submissions from several MPs after 9.00 a.m. today and could not allow them to be raised immediately as he had not yet examined their contents.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa strongly criticised the decision, claiming that refusing to debate the no-confidence motion violated parliamentary privileges and democratic principles.

He said the Opposition had submitted the motion, containing 50 charges against Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne and bearing the signatures of 44 Opposition MPs, to the Secretary-General of Parliament on October 9.

According to Premadasa, the motion was included in Parliament’s Order Book on October 12 but was later rejected following a decision by the Committee on Parliamentary Business, preventing the Opposition from debating the allegations.

He questioned the impartiality of the Speaker and raised concerns over the independence of Parliament and the democratic rights of Opposition MPs.

Premadasa also called for an investigation into whether the refusal to allow the motion to be debated amounted to a breach of parliamentary privileges.

Following his remarks, several Opposition MPs continued to protest the Deputy Speaker’s decision, leading to heated exchanges in the House.

Deputy Speaker Salih assured Parliament that the privilege issues would be examined and that a response would be provided during the course of the day.

However, Opposition MPs continued their protests while the Government proceeded with the scheduled parliamentary business.