Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunathilaka has withdrawn from the three-member parliamentary committee investigating MP Dayasiri Jayasekara’s conduct in Parliament.

Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramanayake announced the change on June 6, naming MP Rauff Hakeem as his replacement.

The committee was initially appointed following a formal complaint regarding Jayasekara’s behaviour during the May 20 parliamentary session.

It is chaired by Deputy Chairperson Hemali Weerasekara, with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath also serving. The committee is tasked with investigating the incident and submitting a report to the Speaker. (Newswire)

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MP Sugath Wasantha de Silva told Parliament that a lawyer who recently made derogatory remarks about him was inciting hatred and violence.

He was referring to MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, whose recent comments against the visually impared MP have drawn widespread criticism.

“I wouldn’t be upset if these remarks came from an unknown person. But they came from someone who called us ‘brother.’ This person not only insulted my vision impairment but also questioned my intelligence and vision,” de Silva said.

Responding to Jayasekara’s claim that he was spreading hatred by speaking of a “76-year-old curse” affecting Sri Lanka, de Silva said. “As a scholar and historian, I can speak not just about a 76-year-old curse but also about the country’s history over centuries.”

“It is this lawyer who spreads hatred. I tell him that my anger, pain, and sadness are justified. The 1978 Constitution described us as disabled persons. Wouldn’t you feel hurt and angered?” he asked.

De Silva expressed disappointment over the lack of progress for disabled individuals, particularly in state-sector employment, despite policies and quotas meant to support them.

“If I don’t call this a curse, what should I call it?” he questioned.

He also asked whether Jayasekara’s remarks reflected the stance of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the broader opposition toward disabled persons. (Newswire)

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