Govt. offered me 100 million to stay: Navin

Wednesday, 3 December 2014 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Former Minister Navin Dissanayake, who quit his Public Management Reforms Cabinet portfolio this weekend, has revealed that the Government offered him Rs. 100 million to remain with the ruling coalition. Addressing a press briefing at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo yesterday, Dissanayake said that Government emissaries had approached him several times offering vast sums of money to prevent his defection.

“But I had already given my word to Maithripala Sirisena, after I heard he would be leading this battle. I am not up for purchase and I am not that valuable,” the former UNP Leader’s son told reporters. Dissanayake explained that the Government was now in crisis mode after a string of defections and loss of support from coalition partners had caused an upset early into election season. “Instead of running the campaign, the Government is focusing all its energy now on stopping the defections. Various mudalalis are engaged in the process of buying people over to prevent the exodus,” he added. The former Minister refused to name the individuals offering cash bonanzas to retain MPs, but vowed to set up a commission to investigate the issue under a Sirisena presidency. “It is not ethical to name these characters now. But when it is investigated, I will reveal the names,” he observed. Dissanayake claimed that he was personally aware of mass irregularities in Chinese loans and investments in Sri Lanka. “The cost of a kilometre of railroad is $ 2 million. The Government is paying $ 16.49 million per kilometre. Where is this money going?” he asked. Dissanayake was joined by Sirisena and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at the news conference, and both leaders welcomed him to the opposition campaign. “I know for a fact that Navin Dissanayake was a person who never got his rightful place in the current Government,” Sirisena said. (DB)