Addressing a press conference in Colombo on Friday, Hirunika said that there was nothing wrong in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa visiting rice markets and the  DRMV to inquire into complaints received, but he had put the cart before the horse.

"The three leading rice mafia merchants backed Gotabaya at the Presidential Election and the biggest crooks at the DRMV are protected by some Ministers in his government. So, he should be able to resolve the rice rackets and  fleecing of motorists at the DRMV, by making  a few telephone calls", she noted.

Hirunika, commenting on the arrest of Opposition MP’s Patali Champika Ranawaka and Rajitha Senaratne,  said that the allegations against them, came within the purview of  civil and not criminal law.

She called on the government to stop remanding those leveling allegations against it  and  conduct independent investigations into those who had gone missing or were killed, after being abducted in white vans during the 2005-2014 period.   

Many members of the current government had made false accusations against the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government, but none of them were arrested and produced in court for it, Hirunika added.