Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake has claimed that it is now the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) that holds the majority support of the Muslims in Sri Lanka and not the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC).

“It’s the NPP that Muslims across the country voted for, not the SLMC,” the Minister had said. 

Rathnayake had made this claim in Parliament on Thursday (23) when SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem had raised concerns about a group of Rohingya refugees who had arrived in Sri Lanka.

The Leader of the House had urged Hakeem not to politicise the arrival of the group of refugees in Sri Lanka by boat.

He had noted that the Government would handle the matter in a humanitarian manner in accordance with Sri Lankan and international laws and had dismissed allegations that the refugees would be deported to Myanmar, stressing that no such decision had been made.

“The Government will ensure these people are treated with compassion and within the framework of the law. I urge Opposition parties not to exploit this situation for political gain,” Rathnayake had added.