<b>Parliamentary TV crew biased - Azwer </b>

The Sunday Leader

Parliamentary Affairs Minister A. H. M. Azwer has made an oral complaint to Speaker Joseph Michael Perera saying that the parliamentary television crew is biased and the crew failed to focus on some of the People’s Alliance and JVP MPs who were the cause for the pandemonium in parliament last Wednesday.

The Speaker, Azwer told The Sunday Leader, had admitted to him of the biased reportage of the incident by the television crew.

Last Wednesday, July 24, opposition members staged a noisy protest in the well of the House. Members also traded punches and kicks and several from both sides were injured as a result of the turmoil.

The minister said the TV camera was focussed only on the Speaker and not on the incident. He said the TV crew should have also focussed on the incident and highlighted the members who were involved in the brawl.

He further said that last week’s incident was initiated, conspired and maneuvered by the JVP, who he described as “Janadhipathi Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), led by Anura Bandaranaike.

He said that the JVP and the PA resorted to disrupt the sittings in parliament because of sheer jealousy over the fact that the present UNF government is able to do things that could not be done by them during their time in government.

He said even during the time the UNP was occupying the opposition bench, esthe members displayed placards but never targeted any particular member of parliament unlike how the PA is doing now against some of the UNF members. “Also, our leader never allowed us to get into the well to dance the devil,” he added.

- The Sunday Leader -