Former Minister of Energy and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna member Chandima Weerakkody says he was stripped off his portfolio as he opposed the Yugadanavi power plant deal. However, he noted that his conscience is clear and he had no participation in such dealings. These comments were made during a media briefing in Galle yesterday (25), where he mentioned that he does not regret losing his portfolio since he was more concerned about the best interest of the nation. "I was led to act in line with my conscience in this matter. Back in the day, even I lost my cabinet portfolio because of this. I do not oppose the United States nor do I oppose Foreign Direct Investments, all we know is a massive project was implemented to source natural gas in our country. My opinion is that laws should be formulated to attract investors and be presented to parliament. I was removed when 11 of the largest cooperations were preparing tenders,” said Weerakkody. Weerakkody went on to say that handing over the supply of natural gas in the country without calling for tenders will cancel out opportunities for investors In conclusion, Weerakkody made a request to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the cabinet to pay attention to this matter, further stating that the security of energy is vital for the prosperity of the nation, and debts can be settled with the utilization of natural gas resources further emphasising on the importance of entering agreements without hampering developments.