‘Purawesi Balaya’, a political movement that supported the Yahapalana Government in 2015, has slammed President Ranil Wickremesinghe, calling him the first fascist leader of Sri Lanka. 

Addressing the media, Purawesi Balaya member Gamini Viyangoda said the President has created an issue in the country by making the Supreme Court issue an order restraining Deshabandu Tennakoon from functioning as the Inspector General of Police (IGP). 

He further said the President’s recent statement that there was a conflict between the executive and the judiciary, hints at the possibility of postponing the Presidential Election. 

Gamini Viyangoda said the executive has repeatedly got into conflicts with the judiciary, adding that the incumbent President has faced more conflicts with the judiciary than any of the former Presidents of Sri Lanka.

He accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of attempting to show that the executive was above the judiciary and that the judiciary must abide by him. 

Gamini Viyangoda further alleged that through his recent statement on the Speaker and Chief Justice’s discussion of the Supreme Court order against Deshabandu Tennakoon, it is evident that the President was attempting to reinstate Tennakoon as the IGP.