A fight broke out in the Eastern Provincial Council when the budget for the year 2015 was being debated.

The council session has been tense from the very beginning. The Chairperson decided to adjourn the session when the three Muslim members who recently decided to be independent left the session.

This decision was opposed by the opposition members and when one member had tried to drag away the Mace, the fighting started.

Members had been shouting in both Sinhalese and English and most of what they said was lost in the commotion. However, it was heard that they were commenting about the common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena also.

The power in the Eastern Provincial Council is in a delicate balance. While the UPFA and its allies had 22 out of 37 members on its side, the recent decision of 3 members to be independent changed the whole scenario. Meanwhile, if the SLMC decides to terminate its support to the UPFA the government in EPC will fall.