President rejects reports of bridge link between India & Sri Lanka

President Maithripala Sirisena assured yesterday that neither the Governments of Sri Lanka nor India held  any discussion with regard to constructing a bridge from Talaimannar connecting India and Sri Lanka.

He said that the Government in any way will not do such imprudent and unpatriotic acts and he also vehemently rejected such allegations spread with the intention of making the Government unpopular.

Participating in a religious ceremony held at the Ganelanda temple in Thalawathugoda on Wednesday, President Sirisena also rejected the allegations made by the narrow extremist political groups by spreading false propaganda that the new government is preparing to remove the clause on Buddhism in the Constitution.

He added that some section of the society use these statements are attempting to mislead the general public.

President said that in the national development as well as internationally the greatest thing we can bestow to the world is the Buddhist philosophy. He assured that the government would fulfill the responsibility of healing the deteriorating society due to the use of high technology and commercializing influences of the world, by making Sri Lanka a center to spread the Theravada Buddhism to the world.

All the preparations works are underway to hold the international Vesak celebration in Sri Lanka in the next year under the blessings and guidance of the Maha Sangha of the Tri-Nikaya, he added.