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by L. B. Wijayasiri

Minister of Lands, Irrigation and Power and deputy Defence Minister General Anuruddha Ratwatte threw an open challenge to UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinge to say in public that the UNP or the UNF led by him shall never take steps to remove the proscription now in force on the LTTE, instead of just saying that he did not have any links or agreement with the LTTE.

Minister General Ratwatte said so when he addressed thousands of Samurdhi Managers and Niyamakas at the Mahamaya College Auditorium on Sunday (18th).

Samurdhi Deputy Minister Salinda Dissanayake and several others participated.

Continuing further Minister General Ratwatte said that it was very clear that there was a very close understanding between the UNP and the National Tamil Alliance who had openly declared that they represented the LTTE. UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe had openly stated that those Tamil Parties had an understanding with each other. That clearly indicated that the UNP leadership had an agreement with the LTTE.

"Eighteen thousand Heroic members of the Security Forces had scarified their lives and another 10,000 had become permanently disabled due to their devotion to the national cause of getting the North East from the LTTE terrorists and protecting territorial integrity of the country.

"If the people voted the UNP into power at the December 5 General Election it would be a great betrayal against those who sacrificed their lives to get the land freed. It would be a great betrayal against the parents, spouses children and brothers and sisters of those who sacrificed their lives and those who became disabled". Were they prepared to become such traitors of the nation he asked?

Under the present circumstances the December 5 general elections would be decisive and it was the bounden duty and responsibility of the people of the nation to cast their votes with a sense of responsibility. Because if the UNP comes into power and handed over the merged North and East to the LTTE under their Interim Council programme, those areas-a part of the land would be permanently the territory under the rule of Prabhakaran and it would never be possible to get it released under any circumstances warned Minister General Ratwatte.

General Ratwatte added that the Samurdhi Programme was implemented on a concept of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and it had been helpful in uplifting the living condition of millions of poverty stricken people in the country. It was not a mere public assistance system but a programme under which the poor and unemployed people were engaged in various productive measures in order to improve their income.

He also said that there were more than thirty thousands officials engaged in the Samurdhi programme and they also have some sort of political commitments and therefore it was their duty to take steps at the December 5 elections to get the programme protected and promoted.

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