July 1, 2013, 8:46 pm

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By Harischandra Gunaratna


National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara yesterday said that if the provincial council system was abolished, he would not remain in the government.


The Minister, addressing a press conference in Colombo, said that all parliamentarians were bound to abide by the Constitution and the 13th Amendment was part of it.


"But if any amendments are necessary to it they could be effected," he said.




The Minister however said that he was not in favour of the merger of the North and East.


Nanayakkara was of the opinion that Provincial Councils were not a failure and if one claimed that the PCs were white elephants then the Cabinet was also a white elephant in that context. He added that he was against imperialism.


Responding to a query as to whether India was attempting to force the 13th amendment down Sri Lanka’s throat, he said that there was no pressure on Sri Lanka from India on the 13th amendment but what they said was not to upset Tamil Nadu since there was an exodus of refugees in the past from Sri Lanka which troubled the state.


During the internal strife, Tamil Nadu didn’t raise any issues other than a solitary man like Vaiko, he pointed out.


"During the war India provided us arms free of charge," he added.


The provincial councils had rendered a service to the people living in those areas. They had been very effective. It was those councils which had provided electricity, built bridges and roads in those areas, the veteran leftist maintained.


The Provincial councilors were living in those areas but the parliamentarians representing those constituencies lived in Colombo and their children studied in Colombo schools, he said.

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