TNA presents sole opposition to 2007 budget

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 November 2006, 00:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka's parliament Wednesday adopted the second reading of the 2007 Budget with a majority of 115 votes. 133 members voted for the budget and eighteen voted against, parliamentary sources said. All eighteen Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians opposed the budget.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP), Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), all monks party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) voted with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government.

The Speaker W.J.M.Lokkubandara called for division at the request of R.Sampanthan, TNA parliamentary group leader

Committee stage discussion of the budget is to commence Thursday and will continue till December 6, parliamentary sources said.