Wigneswaran should resign as Chief Minister - Thavarasa

The Northern Provincial Council’s Leader of the Opposition, S. Thavarasa, says that Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran should resign in the wake of court order issued yesterday against the latter’s decision to sack a provincial minister. 

He stated that if Wigneswaran has any shame he should step down from his position like a gentleman.

The Appeal Court issued an injunction order yesterday against the decision taken by Chief Minister to remove P. Deniswaran from the position of Northern Province Minister of Fisheries and Transport.  

Filing a petition against the move, Deniswaran had argued that under the constitution only the Governor of the Province is vested with the power to remove a minister of a provincial council and that the chief minister does not have the authority to remove a minister. 

Thavarasa says that Wigneswaran does not even have any knowledge regarding the limitations of the legal authority of a provincial council and that is the reasons he took such a decision to remove the minister. 

Giving another example for the Chief Minister’s lack of knowledge, the Opposition Leader alleged that during a recent visit to the North by President Maithripala Sirisena, Wigneswaran had asked the President to extend the term of the Northern Provincial Council.  

How can he make such a request when there is no provision to do so under the Constitution, he questioned.