Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe, was criticised by members of the Northern Provincial Council for dismissing the chief minister, C. V. Wigneswaran during a recent three day visit to the North.
Speaking to the New Indian Express on Sunday, a member of the NPC said: “This is an affront to the elected provincial council. He has devalued the NPC and the office of CM."
Criticising Mr Wickremasinghe's announcement that a special officer is to be appointed to the North, the NPC, who spoke anonymously said:
“If the Special Officer is to be located in the North, then it will be a clear violation of the principle of devolution and a violation of the 13 th.Amendment of the constitution which devolves powers to the provinces. Instead of appointing a Special Officer, he should have said that he will give the Provincial Council greater powers and more funds to make it function meaningfully."
“Clearly, the underlying purpose of Wickremasinghe’s our of the North was to promote his own party, the United National Party (UNP). Tamil MPs from the UNP were in the forefront at the PM’s functions in the North."
Related article: Ranil in Jaffna (30 Mar 2015)
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