Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Chathuranga Abeysinghe, has sent a Letter of Demand to Waruna Rajapaksha over alleged defamatory statements on YouTube regarding a distillery licence.

Issuing a statement, the Deputy Minister’s Office said a series of defamatory and false allegations against Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe were recently circulated on a YouTube channel by an individual named Waruna Rajapaksha.

Accordingly, a Letter of Demand has been issued to Waruna Rajapaksha, seeking compensation for the damage caused.

The issue is linked to recent allegations that Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and MP Najith Indika had met a businessman at the Kingsbury Hotel to discuss a distillery licence under questionable circumstances.

The matter was also raised in Parliament last week by opposition MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam.

“As public officials, we often meet investors and individuals interested in potential investments on a daily basis. The discussion referred to by MP Rasamanickam never took place, and I have never received such a letter. I urge members not to use Parliament to popularise material that appears on YouTube,” Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said, responding to the MP.

Statement : Statement from Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development (Newswire)

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Opposition MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has accused Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe of misleading Parliament in relation to an allegation linked to discussions on a questionable distillery licence.

Taking to ‘X’, MP Rasamanickam said the Deputy Minister was misleading Parliament, as he had read out a personal statement and not a privilege issue, which was also confirmed by the Deputy Speaker in Parliament yesterday. 

“I have asked the Government to investigate this matter, check CCTV and the documents. But clearly, the Minister does not want an investigation. which is exactly why he avoided raising a privilege issue in the first place,” MP Rasamanickam said. 

His statement comes in response to Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe’s statement in Parliament yesterday.

Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe made the statement in reply to an allegation made earlier this week by MP Rasamanickam, claiming that the Deputy Minister and MP Najith Indika had met a businessman at the Kingsbury Hotel to discuss a distillery licence under questionable circumstances.

Raising a privilege issue in Parliament yesterday, in relation to the allegation, Deputy Minister Abeysinghe said his parliamentary privileges had been violated by MP Rasamanickam’s remarks and urged the Speaker to take appropriate action.

“As public officials, we often meet investors and individuals interested in potential investments on a daily basis. The discussion referred to by MP Rasamanickam never took place, and I have never received such a letter. I urge members not to use Parliament to popularise material that appears on YouTube,” he said.

Responding to the statement, MP Rasamanickam questioned whether the Deputy Minister’s remarks were a personal statement or a matter that should be referred to the Privileges Committee.

“I urge the government to investigate this matter, examine the CCTV footage, and review the relevant letter. The Deputy Minister must not avoid accountability by issuing personal statements,” MP Rasamanickam said. (Newswire)

The Deputy Minister is misleading Parliament. He read out a personal statement, not a privilege issue ,as even the Deputy Speaker confirmed.

I have asked the Government to investigate this matter, check CCTV and the documents. But clearly, the Minister does not want an… https://t.co/RCNinLYxau pic.twitter.com/xjAWjHbLn0

— Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam (@ShanakiyanR) October 25, 2025

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