Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena's presence at the opening of a tyre factory in Horana has sparked social media outrage, especially among the opposition supporters.

Abeygunawardena, when he was an opposition MP in 2017, made critical remarks of the tyre factory saying it would onoy manufacture "toy tyres". The project was initiated in Sri Lanka due to the efforts of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Investment Promotions Minister Malik Samarawickrema.

Nandana Lokuwithana, a businessman who has close links with the Rajapaksa family, is the investor of the project.

However, angered by Abeygunawardena's presence at the opening of the tyre factory, many social media users questioned whether the Minister had no qualms about attending the event. Many opposition politicians blamed the government for opening the factory without acknowledging the contribution rendered by the previous government.

Abeygunawardena was not deterred by mounting criticism on social media and even went on to deliver a speech at the event.