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Refusal to carve out new district is the reason-SLFP

28 Dec 2014 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

While claiming that the decision of the SLMC to leave the government would not affect the vote base of President Mahinda Rajapaksa or the election campaign or, the SLFP today said that refusal to carve out an ethnically demarcated new district in the east was the reason for the SLMC to support common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

General Secretary of the UPFA, Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha said, Minister Hakeem wanted the government to agree to establish an ethnically significant new district in the present Ampara District that includes Kalmunai, Sammanthurai and Pottuvil and the government right throughout maintained that it will affect the territorial integrity and unitary character of the country. Therefore, President Rajapaksa flatly rejected that demand,” Minister Premajayantha said.

He added that demarcating new administrative districts on ethnic basis would pose many a threat to the future of the country. If another ethnic group demanded a separate district on the same line for their people the government has to oblige by it as well and there will not be an end to those demands. Mr. Hakeem must reveal now whether he decided to support common opposition candidate with the aim of obtaining a new district for Muslims.

Minister Premachandra said the decision of the SLMC would not affect the election campaign of President Rajapaksa as even in 2010 the SLMC did not support President Rajapaksa’s Presidential campaign. They contested the General Election from the UNP that followed.

“We have information that the TNA is also campaigning covertly in the north in support of common opposition candidate. The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) of Rishad Badhiutheen also supports common opposition candidate. This is the conspiracy against the government that we are talking about,” Minister Premajayantha tressed.

Former Deputy General Secretary of the JHU, Western Provincial Councilor Udaya Gammanpila said it was unfair to compare low cost construction of expressways in Africa with that of Sri Lanka and added expert assessments and exposure o the frauds allegedly involved with Expressway construction in Sri Lanka were incorrect.

Commenting on Mr. Hakeem’s decision to support Maithripala, he said it was surprising that why Hakeem took a long time to show his true colours and added he could not understand how JHU leaders accept SLMC’s policies.

Kaduwela Mayor G.H. Budhadasa said the rumors that he was to leave the SLFP to support common opposition candidate was a work of his political opponents.

“I was bornn a SLFPer and will die as an SLFPer. I will not leave SLFP even if President Rajapaksa left,” he said. (Sandun A Jayasekera)

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Refusal to carve out new district is the reason-SLFP

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