JVP’s new standard compelled Ranwala to use “doctorate”: NFF

By Ajith Siriwardana  

A JVP dissident group, National Freedom Front (NFF) led by Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala was compelled to use a “doctorate title” before his name because of the JVP’s recently imposed standard of being a doctor or a professor to become a politician.  

Former NFF MP Jayantha Samaraweera told reporters that there were people who made sacrifices and huge contributions in the JVP and that some JVPers like its founder Rohana Wijeweera gave up his medical degree for the sake of doing politics while there are some others who sacrificed their engineering degree and high ranking jobs.  He said the JVP is a party which had educated and knowledgeable people at village level who had immense experience working with the people and raised concerns about the level the JVP had fallen into now.  

The MP said the country had faced a serious economic crisis and that the country is not out of the woods yet adding that the country is faced with rice and coconut shortages now.  

“The opposition is silent over the issues faced by the country. They are now concerned with doctorates.The government is importing 70,000 metric tonnes rice when harvesting season is around the corner. Farmers will have to sell their paddy harvest at cheap rate to major rice millers,” he said.