Opposition urges govt. to scrap controversial tender for 1,775 pickup trucks

The Opposition has lashed out at the NPP government for what it describes as a shady deal to procure 1,775 double cab pickups by manipulating the tender process.

- BY SAMAN INDRAJITH

Opening the second-reading debate on Budget 2026 in Parliament on Saturday, SJB MP and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva called for the immediate cancellation of the tender for the pickup trucks, describing it as a “double-cab scam” designed to circumvent the national procurement process and enrich a certain company. He said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is also the Minister of Finance, had sought to silence the Opposition by offering to allocate the pickup trucks to the MPs.