By Saman Indrajith

Parliament yesterday approved the suspension of MPs Palitha Thewarapperuma and Prasanna Ranaweera from Parliament for one week.

Deputy Minister of Internal, Cultural and Wayamba Development Palitha Thewarapperuma and UPFA Gampaha District MP Prasanna Ranaweera were suspended for instigating the clash in Parliament on Tuesday.

When the House commenced sittings Speaker Karu Jayasuriya stated that a special committee appointed by him to look into the clash which broke out in Parliament Well on Tuesday, had proposed that disciplinary action be taken against the MPs involved in the clash.

Leader of the House University Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella proposed that MPs Thewarapperuma and Ranaweera be suspended from Parliament for one week and the House agreed.

Accordingly, the decision of the House was announced by the Speaker who said that suspension sentence would come to effect starting from today (6).

The government and Opposition MPs clashed in Parliament on Tuesday after the government had refused to accede to the demand of Joint Opposition MPs to reverse its decision to reduce security provided to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Several MPs were injured and Kegalle District MP Sandeeth Samarasinghe was hospitalised as a result of the brawl which had been now described by some parliamentarians as the worst clash in Parliament for 12 years. On the same day, Speaker Jayasuriya appointed a special committee headed by Deputy Speaker Sumathipala to investigate the incident and the committee submitted its preliminary report on Wednesday.

The preliminary report has proposed that disciplinary action be taken against MPs Palitha Thewaraperuma and Prasanna Ranaweera over the clash.

Accordingly the Speaker informed Parliament yesterday that it was proposed that the two Parliamentarians be suspended for one week. Some opposition MPs opposed the committee report, but Parliament approved the proposal.

Courtesy:The Island