BBS to disband after General Elections

• Controversial Gnanasara Thero says movement unnecessary after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s win
• Confident President, Cabinet can take country forward
• Claims Sinhalese Buddhists proved Govt. can be formed without minorities   

The controversial Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) group yesterday said it would disband following the upcoming General Elections as in its view the country now had a “good leader”.

BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, addressing a press conferences, charged that during the last five years leaders had acted in a manner that disregarded the Sinhalese and Buddhist values of the majority. 

BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero

He claimed that many political leaders did not stand up for Sinhalese culture or Buddhism due to fear of losing the minority vote, noting that the Presidential Election results had disproved claims that a Government could not be formed without the votes of the country’s ethnic minorities. 

Gnanasara Thero, known for his hardline views, was given a six-year jail term for Contempt of Court. Convicted by a court of law over intimidating Sandya Ekneligoda, the wife of missing journalist Pradeep Ekneligoda, the monk was pardoned by former President Maithripala Sirisena. The pardon drew criticism from human rights activists and the legal community.

"The country has a good leader now," Gnanasara Thero said, expressing hope that the country could move forward with a good Cabinet of Ministers after the General Elections. 

"Therefore we believe that our movement is not necessary anymore," he added.