Minister of Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Chandima Weerakkody said that the President and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party will not allow any changes to be made to the unitary state.

Speaking at an event in Karandeniya, Galle, yesterday, he said that constitutional changes have been discussed for over twenty years.

He recalled that constitutional changes were promised during the 1994 elections, 2005 elections and even in 2010 elections. Therefore, he said that it was high time to act on these aspirations.

Weerakkody made these observations as the new government was initiating the process to draft a new constitution. Opposition figures had argued that the unitary state will be challenged by the proposed constitution.