Heated exchange between EP Governor and TNA MPs

A Tense situation prevailed at the Batticaloa District Coordinating Committee meeting, where TNA MPs of the district and Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath, had a heated exchange of words, on Monday, over Divulapathana lands being given to farmers for cultivation.

It was the first ever district coordinating committee meeting after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became the President and it met under co-chairpersons, Governor Yahampath and Batticaloa District MP Sivanesan Chandrakanthan.

TNA MPs spoke against the Governor’s recent decision to release lands at Mailetthamadu in Divulapathana for farmers to cultivate and demanded that the process should be stopped immediately as those lands were grasslands for the cattle of the Tamils for centuries.

Governor Yahampath assured that there would be no injustice to cattle farmers when releasing underutilised lands for others to cultivate crops. She said that she had visited the area but was sad to notice a few hundred cattle being left without water or food. She said that the TNA threats would not prevent her from promoting agriculture in the area at a time when the country needed food. “This is an official meeting and I expect the MPs would behave responsibly and decently. I am one of the co-chairpersons of this meeting. Your behaviour not only disrespects me, but also this Chair. You should be ashamed of yourselves to be called people’s representatives,” governor had told the TNA MPs.