Matale Mayor bitterly critical of UNP leadership

Mayor of the UNP-controlled Matale Municipal Council, Daljith Aluvihare, yesterday complained that he was disgusted with his party because it does not possess proper action to run the country.

The mayor, who also has two siblings who are UNP ministers, Ranjith and Wasantha Aluvihare, said that the party's situation had deteriorated to such an extent that he was unable to contact the leadership of the party including General Secretary Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam when he needed to.

However, he lauded Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, calling him a leader who was always contactable and there for the people at any time of the day. Mayor Aluvihare, addressing a press conference yesterday in Matale, said there was a bizarre education system in the country making it impossible for him to even get a child admitted to a school in his city if he wished to do so.

Speaking about the UNP candidate for the upcoming presidential election, he said a leader that the people trust needed to be chosen or else the party would face certain defeat. According to him, there are many capable leaders in the UNP who can go up from a grassroots level and they should be given an opportunity.

There should not be a dictatorial rule. He inquired from UNP Leader Wickremesinghe why it is that the UNP has not been able to win a presidential election since 1994.

He called former President Mahinda Rajapaksa a people’s leader who had served this country well and saw an end to the three-decade-long war and that the people loved him for it. (Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa)