The Samagi Jana Balawegaya staged a protest near Diyatha Uyana on the parliament access road in Battaramulla on Friday as the no-confidence motion against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody was formally presented and debated inside the chamber.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and MPs including Harsha de Silva, Mujibur Rahuman, Thalatha Atukorale and Chamindrani Kiriella joined the demonstration. Police closed the road from Polduwa Junction as the protest caused traffic congestion in surrounding areas.
Inside Parliament, SJB MP Ajith P. Perera formally presented the no-confidence motion, citing alleged irregularities in coal procurement at the Lakvijaya Power Plant and indictments filed against Jayakody before the Colombo High Court under the Bribery Act.
Perera alleged that Jayakody had failed to ensure adequate and quality coal supply, demonstrated serious negligence in institutional management, and violated responsibilities assigned through an Extraordinary Gazette dated November 25 relating to minimising technical losses. He described the allegations as a “betrayal of the public mandate” and a violation of good governance principles.
The NCM — the first tabled against any minister since the NPP took office in September 2024 — was debated from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The government, which holds a comfortable parliamentary majority, was widely expected to defeat the motion.
The debate centred on the Rs. 7.7 billion in CEB losses attributed to substandard coal imported by Trident Chefar Ltd and the broader energy tariff crisis that has followed.
