MP in massage clinic whilst budget debate underway

(Lanka-e-News, ) The committee stage of budget was adjourned prematurely 100 minutes before the scheduled wind up Tuesday (18). An opposition MP who was to take part in the budget debate was having an herbal massage in the parliament ayurvedic clinic at that time.

A minister was also having a massage with him, parliament sources said.

The newspapers cited the absence of a Minister and three MPs as cause for the premature adjournment of the parliament meeting. The budgets of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare and Ministry of Labor Relations and Manpower were subjected to debate at the time of the incident. Sivanesan Kishore, Mervin Silva, Joseph Michael Perera and Ravi Karunanayaka were to address the parliament after the speech of JVP MP Bimal Rathnayaka.