Sri Lanka, Nov. 15 -- Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake has described President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's budget proposal to explore offshore oil and gas resources in the Mannar Basin as unrealistic.

Speaking during today's budget debate, Dassanayake said successive governments had proposed the initiative since 1975, but it had never materialised.

He also recalled that the current ruling party had criticised upstream petroleum development plans during Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency, when it was in the Opposition.

"We will not stand in your way if you try, but you will not be able to extract oil and gas from the Mannar Basin during the remainder of your term," he said.

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