Axe-carrying Veddha Chief gets seat in P’ment Speaker’s Gallery

Uruvarige Vanniyaleththo, the chief of the Veddah community was given the chance to sit in Speaker’s gallery in Parliament yesterday on a request made by the Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle.

Minister Fernandopulle requested the Speaker to allow Vanniyaleththo to carry his “Keteriya’ (axe) into the parliamentary complex since it was part of his cultural dress code.

The Speaker sought the opinion of opposition MPs before allowing the Veddah Chief to carry his axe into the gallery.

“Keteriya is a part of his national costume and since he is the leader of an ethnic community, we should allow him to take his axe into Parliament,” said JVP MP Wimal Weerawansa. “I think that we should allow him to sit in the Speaker’s gallery,” the JVP MP added.