Malwathu Mahanayake Thero Strongly Questions and Dismisses False Claims Made by SJB MPs
A group of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentarians, including party General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, visited and held discussions with the Mahanayake Theros of the Malwathu and Asgiri chapters today (12).
The discussions centered around controversial religious and ecclesiastical issues. During the meeting with Most Venerable Tibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Mahanayake Thero of the Malwathu Chapter, the SJB General Secretary claimed that individuals currently holding government power had bombed the sacred Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) in the past.
Responding sharply to this claim, the Mahanayake Thero questioned, “How can you say these people bombed it? No, no, even if someone says so, we know. They didn’t bomb it like the LTTE. Regarding Niranjan, when the King was there, the casket was changed and another was placed. When he was there, what did he do? He lacquered the casket. I have photos of it. A new casket made of gold has been placed now. The old casket has been kept separately in a suitable place. With nothing else to say or do, people are being provoked.”
Furthermore, when the SJB General Secretary mentioned that the government has declared it is making the country a secular state, the Mahanayake Thero responded, “You cannot say whether those things are true or not. They said they would stop the pageant, but they didn’t stop it, did they? They participate in religious ceremonies. They participate in other religious festivals as well.”
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