Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera clashed with National Co-existence Dialogue and Official Languages Minister Mano Ganesan at his ministry yesterday.

The incident occurred after the minister postponed a meeting scheduled with the Bodu Bala Sena. The BBS stormed the premises and insisted on meeting with the Minister.

At the discussion, the BBS representatives said the Tamil majority was subjecting the Sinhalese community in the North to harassment. Gnanasara Thera added nearly 15 Buddhist temples in the Northern Province had been destroyed since 2009.

The Minister, in response, said there was no barrier for the Sinhalese to reside in the Northern Province. But the BBS General Secretary asserted that the Ministers statement was not a reflection of the reality on the ground.

Gnanasara Thera also asked the Minister if he accepted that Sri Lanka is a Sinhala- Buddhist country, to which the National Coexistence Minister replied that the country belonged to both the Sinhalese and the Tamils. 

Amid these strong differences of opinion, the meeting between the two parties ended inconclusively.