State Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake on Saturday issued a combative response to recent remarks by Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha, declaring that if his political rival likens himself to martial arts icon Bruce Lee, he would respond as former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.
Addressing a public rally in the Matara District, Dassanayake dismissed the comparison attributed to Lal Kantha during a televised programme, insisting that such rhetoric did not intimidate him.
“If he says he is Bruce Lee, then I am Mike Tyson,” Dassanayake told the gathering, warning that he would not hesitate to respond forcefully if provoked. He claimed he would need only “two shots” to bring an opponent down and said he was well acquainted with the confrontational political culture of the late 1980s, having lived through the turbulent 1988–89 period. Rejecting what he described as indirect or “foul” tactics, he said he would confront challenges head-on.
Turning his attention to political rivals in Matara, Dassanayake criticised Sunil Handunnetti, stating that public expectations of Handunnetti emerging as a national leader or future Finance Minister had faded. He attributed this, in part, to what he described as the stagnation of the Ministry of Industries under the present circumstances.
The Minister also raised broader governance issues, including graduate unemployment. He alleged that nearly 5,000 graduates remain without placements and contrasted this with his own past record, claiming to have facilitated employment for around 25,000 individuals.
In a candid aside, Dassanayake acknowledged that he does not speak English and criticised fellow parliamentarians whom he accused of feigning language proficiency without delivering tangible results. He further revealed that he is currently facing approximately 14 court cases, including matters before the Colombo High Court and courts in Badulla, but maintained that legal pressure would not deter his political activities.
Using the rally as a platform to call for a revival of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Dassanayake urged supporters to help rebuild the party’s grassroots strength. He recalled the discipline and organisational culture fostered by past leaders, including the Bandaranaike family, and praised the late Mangala Samaraweera’s political work in Matara.
Acknowledging that the turnout at the rally was modest, Dassanayake said political momentum must be rebuilt through sustained outreach. He pledged to travel across the country to correct what he described as mistakes made in previous elections and called on supporters to take the party’s message “from house to house” in pursuit of future electoral victories.
