Several senior purohitas in yahapalanaya the other day called on the chief monk of a well-known Buddhist temple situated close to the hill capital. 

This prelate known for his straight talk residing in this temple once bounded by a barbed wire fence, addressed in a stern tone the purohitas who sat down after paying him obeisance in the traditional way: “Look here, gentlemen. Have you no shame? You misled that man to his end…Do you want to destroy the new man too?  You people keep on blaming the former set and have failed to do anything worthwhile…”

The purohitas uttered respectfully, “Ehemai…Ehemai…” and ventured no reply. Later they had quietly faded from the scene after declining an invitation to tea by the monk. 

One of the purohitas who came under fire from the prelate was a big mouth from the hills who made it to the council from the list. Another one was a bigwig from Uva who lost his seat thrice in a row, but back in Diyawanna thanks to the preference vote. The other two were prominent ones from the West and the central hills respectively.