State Minister Nalaka Godahewa said the public was errorneous in their assumption that Parliamentarians had super-luxuruy vehicles.

"Parliamentarians don;t have super-luxury vehicles as many people think. Even now, I am using one of my own vehicles. Two vehicles given to me by the government are broken," Godahewa said speaking to the media about the controversy over importing new vehicles for MPs.

"Sometimes, ministers receives vehicles that are at least a decade old. You cannot do much with them. There are some MPs who come to Parliament by bus. Is it wrong to give vehicles to them?" Godahewa asked.

The State Minister said the public wanted politicians to dish out aid in times of emergency. "At the same time, they want us to work without even taking our salaries. How is this possible?" he questioned.

However, two parties in the opposition - the SJB and the JVP - have publicly stated that they will not accept vehicles imported by the government for the use of parliamentarians.