Several Tamil news portals have reported that Minister Rishad Bathiudeen had assaulted MP J. Sri Ranga in the presence of a few other MPs during a dinner that was hosted at Temple Trees last night.

The incident had occurred in a context where Parliamentarian Sri Ranga, who also hosts TV shows on Sirasa and Shakthi TV, had been highly critical of Rishad Bathiudeen's party's stance on the forthcoming Presidential Election. Ranga had criticized the decisions taken by Bathiudeen’s ACMC during the TV show ‘Minnal’ which is hosted by him.

Tamil media reports said that Ranga, during the programme, had said that he could bet any amount of Rupees that Bathiudeen’s ACMC would support President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming presidential election. The remark, which was made with sarcasm, had earned the ire of the Minister who lead the second largest Muslim party in Sri Lanka.

The Presidential Secretariat, however, had announced that Baithiudeen’s party pledged support President Rajapaksa at the presidential election. The announcement was made after a delegation of high profile ACMC memvers, led by Minister Bathiudeen, met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees. 

Both Parliamentarians have still not denied the media report which was carried in prominent Tamil medium news portals today!