No Government in Power Will Act Against Buddhism, Says Upul Kumarapperuma

29-Oct-2026

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President's Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma has said that opposition parties accuse the Government of acting against Buddhism without specifying what actions constitute such conduct. Since the Constitution clearly stipulates that Buddhism must be protected, no government in power would act against the religion, he said.

He made these remarks at a media briefing organised by the National Intellectuals' Organisation in Colombo on 28 October 2026.

Elaborating on the issue, Kumarapperuma said opposition parties repeatedly accused the Government of acting against Buddhism but failed to specify the nature of the alleged actions.

He questioned how legal action taken against Buddhist monks who violated the law could be characterised as action against Buddhism.

He described the allegation that the Government was acting against Buddhism as absurd, pointing out that Article 9 of the Constitution stipulated that Buddhism must be protected and fostered. He therefore maintained that no government coming to power would act against Buddhism.

He also referred to a recent march by a group of Buddhist monks from Kandy to Colombo, claiming that Buddhism was under threat. The monks had staged a protest in front of the Presidential Secretariat before moving towards Viharamahadevi Park.

Kumarapperuma noted that Buddhists accounted for approximately 72 per cent of the country's population and questioned how many people had participated in the protest.

He argued that if the Government were genuinely acting against Buddhism, the entire population would have joined the protest organised by the small group of monks. He therefore maintained that the allegation that the Government was acting against Buddhism was entirely incorrect.