Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said he had no intention of joining any political party in the future.
The Thera made the decision to sit as an independent MP in Parliament recently.
“I have not decided on any political party and I have no political ambitions at present. I want to build a wide national movement which will bring together different groups under one platform,”said the Thera, who at present has taken on the leadership of the National Council of Sri Lanka (NCSL).
The MP who is part of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) was elected to Parliament through the National List slot of the United National Front. The JHU has insisted that Rathana Thera cannot function as an independent MP and asked that he resign from the party and give up his seat to former JHU Western Provincial Councillor Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe. The party has also alleged that the Thera intended to join the UNP in the near future.
The Thera however has refused to resign and denied such allegations. He instead said he would stick by the government and concentrate on the NCSL to pressure the government to agree on a National Planning Commission in the next three years, “What we need right is government policy and a wider movement can achieve that more effectively than a political party which is limited to certain boundaries,”the Thera said.
This is not the first time the Thera has started a mass movement. Since his entry into politics as a student activist at university, the outspoken monk has been part of forming such organisations like: Janatha Mithuro, Ratawesi Peramuna, the National Movement Against Terrorism, Sihala Urumaya, Jathika Hela Urumaya and the Pivithuru Hetak Movement.
When asked whether he planned to quit politics altogether, the Thera replied, “I Will decide what to do after three years”.
Add new comment