{
  "id": 7456341,
  "title": "Controversy over absence of Agriculture Minister, Deputy at NPP’s inaugural farmers’ rally",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/controversy-over-absence-of-agriculture-minister-deputy-at-npps",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T00:05:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/controversy-over-absence-of-agriculture-minister-deputy-at-npps-inaugural-farmers-rally/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The absence of Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha and his Deputy Namal Karunaratne at the NPP’s inaugural farmers' rally in Polonnaruwa on Saturday highlighted the government’s failure to address the concerns of the farming community, according to the SLPP. Former Kalutara District SLPP MP Sanjeewa Edirimanna stated that politburo member Lal Kantha, who represented the NPP’s highest decision-making body, and Deputy Karunaratne couldn’t address the farmers, making their absence significant. The SLPP expressed gratitude for the NPP’s acknowledgment of the crisis in the agricultural sector. When contacted by The Island, Deputy Minister Karunaratne claimed that there was no necessity for all of them to attend each NPP rally and pointed out that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed the gathering on their behalf. He also stated that the Polonnaruwa rally was not on his schedule for September 12, as it was the inaugural farmers’ rally held nearly two years after the last presidential election. Former MP Edirimanna noted that Minister Lal Kantha had already addressed both the Bulathsinhala and Beruwala rallies on September 6, marking the start of the NPP propaganda campaign amid growing dissent over the government's approach to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. He criticized the NPP for justifying the absence of the two Agriculture Ministers at the Polonnaruwa rally. Edirimanna further claimed that the NPP could not justify the absence of the two agriculture ministers and blamed the government's failure to address the growing grievances of the farming community. He mentioned that despite promises, the NPP had failed to establish a reasonable pricing formula for paddy. The President had promised to implement an efficient paddy purchasing scheme during the next harvesting season, according to Edirimanna, who emphasized that the government should accept responsibility for its promises.",
  "summary": "By Shamindra Ferdinando The absence of Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha and his Deputy Namal Karunaratne at the NPP’s farmers’ rally at Polonnaruwa, on Saturday (12) revealed the government’s failure to address the problems faced by the farming community, the SLPP says. Former Kalutara District SLPP MP Sanjeewa Edirimanna said that politburo member Lal Kantha, who […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}