The people are disappointed. JVP is old wine in a new bottle, says Kavinda Jayawardena

12-Nov-2025

.

“The coming year’s budget is like pouring old wine into a new JVP bottle. Those who came to power claiming they would move away from the IMF have today taken refuge in it. The people are disappointed,” said Kavinda Jayawardena, MP of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Speaking in Parliament on November 10 during the second day of the debate on the Second Reading of the 2026 Budget, he added:

“We see this budget exactly as old wine in a new JVP bottle. When former President J.R. Jayewardene introduced the open economy, the JVP took to the streets, committed killings, destroyed state property, and engaged in violence.

In 2022, when the economic crisis erupted and Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed office, we as the opposition urged talks with the IMF. But the JVP said the IMF was a death trap and insisted that loans be given only under their own terms or not at all.

They deceived the public, promising to renegotiate IMF conditions if they came to power. During the IMF debate on 28 April 2023, the current President and Prime Minister voted against the IMF program.

Now the very same individuals are beautifully implementing the program they once opposed. They criticised it then, saying the economy would collapse. Today they claim this budget is a success, while the IMF program they opposed was supposedly a failure. They have lied and misled the people.”