Namal accuses Govt of politicising Easter attacks

 SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa accused the current Government of exploiting the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks for political gain ahead of the Local Government elections.

In a statement posted on 'X', Rajapaksa claimed that the Government was using the national tragedy to provoke emotional responses and manipulate public sentiments.

He said that the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), chaired by Justice Janak de Silva, was formally submitted to Parliament on 23 February 2021, in line with directives issued by the then President. The report was tabled in Parliament around 25 February 2021 and remains publicly available on the Parliament's official website.  

“The Attorney General is already in possession of—and fully apprised of—the contents of this report,” he said.

Regrettably, the current Government appears to be exploiting the national tragedy of the “Easter Attacks” as a political instrument, wielding it to evoke emotional responses and manipulate public sentiments amidst the ongoing Local Government election process. Such conduct marks a disheartening descent into cheap and manipulative political opportunism., the MP said.

He said a legitimate criminal investigation must be conducted with objectivity and impartiality. 

"To first identify a target and then seek evidence to support a preconceived accusation is not an investigation-it is a deliberate orchestration aimed at persecuting individuals, particularly those with dissenting political views.

"I strongly urge this Government-replete with performative displays of moral superiority-to cease using this sorrowful national tragedy as a tool for political gain. 

Such actions are not only disingenuous but also deeply disrespectful to the memory of the victims. It is, by every measure, unbecoming, cynical and shameful," the MP said.