Three Jaffna District MPs have complained against EPDP leader, Douglas Devananda, to President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte, one of them alleging that he had been threatened with death.

The MPs have accused Devananda who chairs the Jaffna District Development Council of acting dictatorially. One of them, Dr. I.M. Iliyas of the SLMC, has alleged that the EPDP leader had threatened him with death.

Two of the three complainant MPs, N.R. Rameswaran and N.R. Ramamoorthy, two brothers, were elected to parliament on the EPDP ticket. They have subsequently been sacked from the party but have retained their parliamentary seats after a court action.

The Jaffna DDC meeting was held at a parliamentary committee room last Tuesday with Devananda in the chair. The two ex-EPDP MPs have asked the president to suspend the allocation of funds and implementation of programmes until the problems are sorted out.

Dr. Iliyas has told Gen. Ratwatte that each of the MPs were entitled to Rs. 4 million DDC funds for their projects. But Devananda had said that he would not implement any of the programmes of the three MPs. There was a heated argument over this and they walked out of the meeting and sat on a parliamentary corridor in protest.

He alleged that Devananda had walked to where they were seated, exchanged words and threatened him with death. Illiyas asked Gen Ratwatte for an investigation and adequate security.

Devananda denied that he threatened Illiyas.

He alleged that when Illiyas used unparliamentry language on him, he warned Illiyas not to say such things.

Devananda also said that Jaffna Muslims now living in Puttalam had complained to him that Jaffna District Development Council funds meant for their welfare have been allegedly misused.