A heated exchange broke out in Parliament yesterday as Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam commemorated slain fighters killed during the war in Sri Lanka.
Ponnambalam commenced his speech during the debate on the 2021 budget by paying respects to those killed while fighting for the rights of the Tamils.
Former Army Commander, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka raised objections to the comments to which Ponnambalam responded by calling him a war criminal.
Fonseka then raised a point of order and objected to being called a war criminal.
He then called Ponnambalam a terrorist and warned him over his comments.
Ponnambalam continued to accuse the military and the then Government of heinous crimes.
He also questioned the failure of the current Government to declare the North and East as a war affected area and protect the people of the area.
A number of Government Parliamentarians then continued to verbally abuse Ponnambalam over some of the comments he continued to make during his speech in Parliament.
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
