Video: UNP turns down Daya Master’s request

17 May 2013 10:20 am

The main opposition UNP yesterday said it had rejected a request made by Velayutham Dayanithi alias Daya Master and his supporters to contest the Northern Provincial Council on the UNP ticket.

UNP Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake told a news conference that the group met the UNP leaders during their recent visit to the North.

The UNP MP made this point referring to a statement by Daya Master that former LTTE cadres should be allowed to contest elections.

He said the party informed them that the UNP had decided to keep away from LTTE associates as various allegations had been levelled against the party linking it with Tamil Terrorists.

 “We turned down their request as the party had suffered in the past due to mud slinging campaigns linking us with the LTTE,” he said adding that anyone who is charged with serious offences could get all charges cleared if he or she contested an election on the UPFA ticket.

Mr. Karunanayake said this was how former LTTE combatant Pillayan (Sivanesakumar Chandrkanthan became the Eastern Province Chief Minister and Vinyagamurthi Muralitharan (Karuna) became the Vice President of the SLFP. (Yohan Perera and Lahiru Pothmulla)

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