JVP leader and Democratic National Alliance Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake accused that the Ministry of External Affairs had gone out of the control of the Minister and an ‘invisible hand’ is running the foreign affairs of the country.

He made these grave accusations yesterday at the Parliament, moving an adjournment motion on the malpractices of the Ministry. Before the motion was moved, he Tweeted, “I will move an adjournment motion in @Parliament today (6th) regarding malpractices committed by the Ministry of External Affairs.”

He said that nepotism was rife in the Foreign Service, pointing out that in most foreign missions, even the Ambassador was a political appointment rather than a career diplomat. Dissanayake went on to name a number of diplomats who are closely related to government politicians alleging that the diplomatic service has become a refuge for the relatives of leading SLFP members.

Dissanayake pointed out that if the country’s Defense Ministry could run cartoons on politicians of India, what is the level to which foreign affairs has fallen. He stressed that the cartoon which was derogatory towards Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Indian Prime Minister Modi forced the Defense Ministry to apologize. “But it is the country that has apologized” in front of Jayalalithaa, Dissanayake said.

He also said that there were derogatory posters appearing in Tamil Nadu where President Mahinda Rajapaksa is seen seeking forgiveness from Jayalalithaa. It is not the President that is been shamed. It is our motherland that has been shamed by these posters, Dissanayake said.