The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has raised concerns over the latest Cabinet reshuffle, claiming that the changing of ministerial portfolios was a ‘wrong decision’ by the President.

Speaking to the media in this regard this afternoon (23 Oct.), SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of having taken the wrong decision in this regard, in particular the removal of Keheliya Rambukwella from the post of Minister of Health.

“There were false allegations made against Minister Keheliya, and it was proven that these allegations were false. However, the President must have thought that making certain changes in this regard was the right thing to do”, Kariyawasam said in this regard.

Further opining his concerns pertaining to the Cabinet reshuffle, the SLPP General Secretary further stated that President Wickremesinghe has already been informed of the political party’s concern with regards to the appointment of Dr. Ramesh Pathirana as the new Minister of Health.

Voicing the party’s displeasure with regards to the appointments of two members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to both Cabinet and non-Cabinet portfolios, Kariyawasam asserted that they are unafraid to call the President out on his ‘wrong decisions’.

“A large number of MPs supporting the President to take this country forward are from the SLPP. There are only five such MPs supporting the President from the SLFP. Thus, it is wrong of the President to remove a ministerial portfolio from an SLPP MP, and give it to an MP belonging to the SLFP, and to also give another SLFP member the portfolio of a State Minister. We are unhappy about this decision, it was a wrong thing to do. We are not afraid to say when something is wrong. If an act is wrong, it is wrong, even if it is committed by the President”, the SLPP General Secretary stressed in this regard.

A Cabinet reshuffle took place earlier today, during which the ministerial portfolios of several ministers including Mahinda Amaraweera and Keheliya Rambukwella were changed.

Accordingly, Minister Amaraweera, was sworn in as the Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, while former Health Minister Rambukwella was sworn in as the new Minister of Environment.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana has been appointed as the Minister of Health, in addition to his current portfolio as Minister of Industries, while State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya was appointed as the Non-Cabinet Minister of Plantation Enterprises, in addition to his current post.