Two prominent Cabinet Ministers had run into an argument with President Maithripala Sirisena at the Cabinet meeting yesterday over the country's crime rate this year, informed government sources said. 

The argument started when the President said that crime rate had increased in the country, mainly due to the incompetence of Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara. 

At this point, the President's remarks were challenged by Law and Order Minister Ranjith Maddumabandara and Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera. 

Both of them countered the President's argument with statistics saying the crime rate, in fact, had decreased this year. 

They said the media was highlighting crimes, painting a distorted picture of an artificial inflation in the crime rate. 

However, the President's remarks were supported by Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe. He said he too believed that there was an increase in the crime rate. 

Irked by the unexpected response from the two ministers, the President had said he did not believe that the crime rate had been dropped, irrespective of what statistics indicated.