Anusha Palpita, Chairman of Lake House, has resigned from his position. The resignation comes amidst controversy surrounding his role and actions during his tenure.
During the time when Keheliya Rambukwella served as the Minister of Media, Palpita, as the Secretary of the Ministry of Media, reportedly named two external consultants and oversaw their salary payments. Additionally, Palpita faced inquiries from the COPE Committee regarding his receipt of salary as the chairman of Lake House’s subsidiary, Atana. It is believed that these circumstances contributed to Palpita’s decision to resign.
Internal sources reveal that Palpita, appointed as Lake House chairman by the Chief Minister, has faced questioning by the COPE committee based on information and instructions provided by the minister. Moreover, there have been internal conflicts between Palpita and the minister due to Palpita’s efforts to curtail the dissemination of cheap political propaganda by Bandula Gunawardena through state media outlets.
These conflicts reportedly resulted in several embarrassing situations for the minister in front of senior officials of state media. As a response, the minister has taken action to remove Tilak Mahagamage, the television news director, for allegedly failing to publish news favorable to the minister.
