National People’s Power (NPP) MP Jagath Manuwarna claimed in Parliament that protesters staging a satyagraha in support of former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay would have faced a public backlash similar to the events of July 9 had the protest continued.
Addressing Parliament, Manuwarna said the satyagraha held in Pettah had ended decisively and not merely been suspended. He claimed to have witnessed members of the public arriving at the protest site with the intention of confronting those taking part.
“If they had remained seated there for another two or three days, they would have been beaten until they ran through Pettah, just as happened on July 9,” he said.
The MP further alleged that groups now expressing concern over the ongoing investigations had remained silent while Sallay had been detained for nearly 100 days.
He also criticised opposition Muslim MPs, stating that they had failed to speak out when Sri Lanka’s Muslim community faced social and psychological pressure following the Easter Sunday attacks, and described their current stance as shameful.
Manuwarna maintained that investigations into both the Easter Sunday attacks and the Central Bank bond scam were progressing properly under the present Government. He urged the public to have confidence in the process.
He added that the public had not forgotten the hardships they had endured in the past and said the Government remained committed to delivering justice in line with the mandate it had received from voters.
