Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena has shot down claims by MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam that the portfolios of Ports and Civil Aviation had been removed from Minister Bimal Rathnayake, likely due to allegations linked to the “323 container controversy”.

Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena explained that the ministerial portfolio of Minister Rathnayake was amended during the Cabinet reshuffle today, simply due to the Urban Development Ministry being brought under the purview of the Transport Ministry.

Revealing the government’s plan to establish several multi-modal transport centers across the country, he stated that urban development is intrinsically linked to the success of these major infrastructure projects and that the Urban Development portfolio is more closely aligned with the Transport Ministry’s current goals. 

“Do you think that a person like Bimal Rathnayake, who has dedicated his entire life to public service, can be bulldozed through an incident like the container controversy? It is evident that these people have failed to understand us,” the Deputy Minister added. 

Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena made the remarks in Parliament today, in response to an earlier statement made by opposition MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. (Newswire)

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Cabinet reshuffles are the latest joke by the President and his government, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said.

Issuing a statement, MP Premadasa said that today’s Cabinet reshuffle was nothing but a reshuffle of the same people within the Cabinet. 

Pointing out that Keheliya Rambukwella who was accused of being unsuitable for the portfolio of Health has been made Environment Minister, MP Premadasa said Sri Lanka is not being made a smart nation, but dishonest.

“Even though the opposition brought a No-Confidence Motion against Keheliya Rambukwella, the government protected him. They proclaimed that they have confidence in him despite the nation’s health sector having crashed,” he said. 

MP Premadasa stressed that the appointment of Keheliya Rmbukwella as the Minister of Environment poses the risk of the environmental sector crashing similar to that of the health sector in the past.

The President has made this decision not to safeguard the public or the environment, but to strengthen his power, he alleged.

MP Premadasa further urged the government to hold a General Election. (NewsWire)

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