Chandrika offers to discuss draft constitution with LTTE

However, "if the LTTE rejects those proposals, we will continue the war", she said amidst protests from the main Opposition United National Party (UNP) whose members were seen tearing papers of the draft bill and throwing them into the well of House.

In her two-hour long speech in Sinhala Chandrika also sounded belligerent saying that "the day we chase Prabhakaran and hit him is not far".

Disregarding insults, Chandrika presented the Bill in the House after Speaker K B Ratnanayake read the Supreme Court ruling that the proposed bill could be legal only if it was passed by a two-thirds majority followed by approval in a popular referendum.

A three-judge bench of the court sent its ruling to the speaker within 24 hours after the Cabinet referred the Bill to it for its comments.

Nine political parties and individuals had petitioned the Supreme Court on Wednesday to stop the statute from going ahead. The UNP withdrew its support to the bill after five-month long talks saying the government had rushed the bill much against the wishes of the Buddhist monks and the LTTE.

Sections of the Sinhala right-wing as well as ultra-leftwing political parties including Janatha Vimukti Perumuna (JVP) have also vowed to defeat the bill.

Earlier on Thursday, Chandrika presented the bill in parliament amidst demonstrations outside the House. Hundreds of police commandos and security personnel grappled to stop the surging demonstrations by the JVP from entering the main road leading to Parliament.

Lashing out at UNP members and Right-wing Buddhists monks and parties for their opposition to her autonomy proposals aimed to solve the ethnic conflict, Chandrika said glorifying Sinhalese Buddhism would not help stop the war, specially when the reason for the continuation of ethnic conflict was the failure of the successive Governments to solve the grievances of Tamils living in the North and East.

While many countries in the world experienced, religious, linguistic and ethnic conflicts, none of them were solved by the Centre and the majority community grabbing all the powers, she said, adding: "They have to share the power to a certain extent fairly with others."

After her presentation, the Justice and ConstitutionalAffairs Minister, Prof G I Peiris formally initiated discussion on the Bill. However, the House was adjourned till August 7 for further discussion. Voting on the Bill was expected to take place on August 8.