COLOMBO (NewsRadio); Janaka Ratnayake who was removed from the post of Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka through a Parliament motion has announced that he will contest the upcoming Presidential Election.
Speaking immediately after the Parliament vote, Janaka Ratnayake said he was prepared for the decision but claimed that his removal from the PUCSL is a defeat for the Sri Lankan people.
Janaka Ratnayake said he had already vacated from his office.
In a defiant tone, Janaka Ratnayake said he has receiving backing from the clergy, business people and the public in general to run for President.
He said therefore he will definitely contest the election.
The motion to remove the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, Janaka Ratnayake from his post was been passed in Parliament last evening.
When a vote was taken in Parliament pertaining to the resolution, 123 Members of Parliament voted in favour of the motion while 77 MPs voted against it.
Accordingly, the motion was passed with a majority of 46 votes in Parliament.
The motion was moved in Parliament last morning by the Leader of House, Minister Susil Premajayantha and MPs debated the motion until the vote was taken at around 5pm by Speaker of House Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.
The parliamentary motion by Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera proposing the dismissal of the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Janaka Ratnayake was tabled last month.
The motion was presented in accordance with clause 7 of the Public Utilities Commission Act and was tabled by Chief Government Whip Prasanna Ranatunga.
Prior to the motion being tabled in Parliament, a charge sheet was also sent to PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake.
The motion was tabled following months of public spats and disagreements between Minister Kanchana Wijesekera and PUCSL Chairman Ratnayake over duration of power cuts, electricity tariff revision and several other key decisions.
Accordingly, the debate on the proposal in accordance with Sri Lanka Public Utilities Commission Act No. 35 of 2002 to remove the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, Janaka Ratnayake from the membership of the said Commission in terms of Section 7 of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka Act was debated and passed in Parliament.
