27 July 2020 09:36 pm
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today expressed confidence that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) would be able to secure a two-thirds majority at the upcoming general elections, solidifying the presidential election victory of the party.
Speaking at a gathering in Alawwa, Mr. Rajapaksa said the SLPP was born and emerged as a strong party due to the intimidation and harassment by the Yahapalana Government.
“Though the party with the highest number of seats should have been given the Opposition Leader's post, the Yahapalana Government did not follow this custom. It awarded the post to the Tamil National Alliance which had only 16 seats and the Chief Opposition Organiser was appointed from the JVP which had only six seats," he said.
He said the MPs who supported the SLPP had to sit idle in parliament with 53 seats. “I was appointed the PM for 52 days due to the tussle between the President and the Prime Minister and then I was given the Opposition leader's post," he said.
The SLPP, he said, was formed amidst all these obstacles and was able to achieve a landslide victory at the previous Local Government elections. (Lahiru Pothmulla)