UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena slammed Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake stating that there is no such thing as a ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa backed faction’ and all opposition parties except the TNA voted against the finance regulation at parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking to Asian Mirror, Gunawardena said that the responsibility for the defeat of the bill lies in the Finance Minister and not with a so-called ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa faction.’ He also said that there is no point in uttering political jokes after running away from the parliament at the time of the vote. Furthermore, Gunewardena said that Karunanayake's arguments were baseless and the opposition tore them apart.

Adding that several key ministers were absent at the vote, Gunawardena asked if they were absent because they belonged to the so-called ‘Rajapaksa faction.’

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake described the defeat at the vote as an unethical attack on the Parliamentary traditions by Mahinda Rajapaksa backed faction.

However, Gunawardena reiterated that according to the parliamentary traditions, the government should resign, since a financial bill has been defeated. This is the practice even in Britain and other Commonwealth nations, he added.

Gunawardena pointed out that the Parliament takes decisions on the financial matters of the country and the people’s representatives have given their verdict. The government cannot print money or raise Treasury bonds once a financial bill has been defeated, he added.