Rural Development Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka yesterday caused furore in by using unparliamentary language when he spoke of former President and MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, MP Namal Rajapaksa, MP Wimal Weerawansa, MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe.

Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala directed that certain statements made by Minister Fonseka be expunged.

The former Army Commander lashed out at Minister over the Avant Garde affair.

Wimal Weerawansa refutes Sarath Fonseka’s allegations of transfer of land gift to wife

A heated argument broke out in Parliament between Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka and MP Wimal Weerawasa over an allegation made by Field Marshal Fonseka, claiming that MP Weerawansa had transferred a land valued at Rs. 300 million on a deed of gift to his wife.

Intervening at this point, MP Weerawansa refuted the allegation made by the Field Marshal and asked the Deputy Speaker to delete the false statement from the Hansard.

Responding to MP Weerawansa, the Deputy Speaker said “You have a right to refute a comment made against you and also to respond to it. So first you do that and then only the correct facts will be added to the Hansard.”

MP Weerawansa said, “There are no such investigations against me or my wife and it is a baseless allegation made by the Field Marshal. So don’t spread such false allegations hereafter. We haven’t spoken about the Hicorp case or Danuna Thilakaratne and the way you betrayed the war.

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka tabled a photograph claiming that it was a photograph of a member of the government who had dealings with Avant Garde and I call him “Nattami.”

Replying at this point MP Weerawansa said that Field Marshal Fonseka called ‘Nattami’ to Justice and Buddhasasana Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha and it is not good to call him ‘Nattami’.

Field Marshal Fonseka also made various comments with regard to the financial crimes and corruptions allegedly committed by some MPs and the members of the Rajapaksa family and Joint Opposition MPs such as Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Keheliya Rambukwella, Chandrasiri Gajadeera and requested the Deputy Speaker to delete these names from the Hansard since all of them are pending court cases.

(Compiled Fron Newspaper Reports)