India remains united and strong due to meaningful devolution - Kiriella

India remained a strong nation because it had devolved powers effectively and given meaningful official status to 25 languages, the UNP said yesterday.Senior Vice President of the UNP Lakshman Kiriella, MP, told a news conference in Colombo, that India had evolved through its diversity and nipped any separatist agendas in a sensible and practical manner.


Sri Lanka, under the Rajapaksa regime, he noted, was trying hard to fragment itself due to fear of devolution propagated by various elements within the ruling coalition.

The UNP’s draft constitution, which was unveiled on Wednesday, was aimed at uniting the country, the MP said, adding that they expected the people to rally round them to establish an environment where all communities lived in peace and harmony while respecting each other’s rights.

Kiriella observed that the LTTE may have been defeated, but instead of reconciliation the actions of extremist forces within the government had driven communities apart and set the stage for further conflict and turmoil, which the masses had been told was a thing of the past.

The rule of law, he said, had deteriorated to unprecedented levels due to the independent commissions, introduced by the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, being scrapped and replaced with bodies controlled by the President.

The 17th Amendment was a historic piece of legislation enacted with the consent of the entire legislature with the exception of one Jathika Hela Urumaya parliamentarian. But it had been abolished through the 18th Amendment in violation of the people’s will and in the most unethical manner, Kiriella added.