Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s (SLPP) Puttalam District MP Arundika Fernando stated that he will function as an independent MP in the Parliament from today (04) onwards.

Fernando, who also serves as the State Minister of Urban Development and Housing, communicated this while addressing the House during today’s Parliamentary session, a short while ago.

Speaking in the Parliament, MP Fernando urged the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and President Ranil Wickremesinghe to join together during the upcoming presidential race, if possible, in order to prevent the country from going into a situation which he claimed would be “a point of destruction”.

Furthermore, Fernando added: “Due to two rebellions in this country in 1971 and 1989, especially in 1989, over 60,000 young people had perished. This was the same in the north as well. When a group of beloved young people from the north were going to take the country to a place of destruction with the LTTE, there was a great massacre of young people. Now the target is again the youth. This is at a point where they have destroyed the minds of the youth through social media networks.”

“From today onwards we will see…If we can’t win this… Honorable Speaker [I accept], victory or the defeat is the democracy...But if this country is going back to a destructive state, if they are talking about a huge protest movement or torching the parliament…We cannot let that happen,” he added.

“I will discuss with anyone who can join just to defeat them as an independent member from today onwards”, said Arundika Fernando.