Jan 04, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says the government is being challenged by ruling party members in local government bodies.

JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a news conference that even after being threatened and warned of being sacked, the local government members continue to defeat the budgets of the local government bodies.

He explained that the current trend in the local government bodies have however violated the rights of the people.

"The local government bodies are the first governing bodies that work for the benefit of the villages or town areas. These bodies need to be further strengthened since they attend to the first requirement of the people. However, what has happened now is the total opposite," Dissanayake said.

He pointed out that the government is now trying to appoint commissioners to head the local government bodies that have had their budgets defeated.

"Such a move would result in the President and several government members taking control of the local government bodies and taking them on the wrong path with wrong policies like the entire country," Dissanayake said, adding that people should not allow such a situation to take place.