UPFA's maiden budget revolutionised development work - Maithreepala

UPFA's maiden budget revolutionised the country's development work, SLFP Secretary General and Mahaweli and Riverbasin and Rajarata Development Minister Maithreepala Sirisena said.

"While we were planning to implement projects beneficial to the people of this country, it was unfortunate that the country was hit by the tsunami.It is almost six months now and we have to pull back the country from the devastation caused by the disaster", he told a propaganda rally organised by the SLFP in Kandy on Thursday.

"We do not accept the way Ranil Wickremesinghe signed the Ceasefire Agreement. But we have to accept the fact that in the North and the East there exists areas controlled by the State and areas which does not come under State control. New problems have arisen in trying to develop this area", Sirisena said.

He said: "While the LTTE appeals to the international donor to help direct to rehabilitate these areas, the donors say aid would be provided through the State. The LTTE's complaint is that if the aid comes through the State, they would not get it.

This is the background which led to the proposal to form the Tsunami Relief Council. If we fail to implement the Tsunami Relief Council, the international community will directly provide aid to the LTTE. The only way to avoid this is to establish the TRC.

The President and the Government had discussions on this and one group says that the President is going to do things on her own without discussing it with anyone. Those who opposed should think which way the Eelam was created. Is it by forming the TRC or by not forming it?

Some claim that Eelam is within the Tsunami Relief Council and it helps to further develop terrorism.

Since independence, three leaders from the SLFP camp have governed this country. There are S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. None of them have ever betrayed the country.

The JVP said that they would leave the government if the President did not roll back the proposal to set up the TRC. Some asked us whether we want to lose the government by preferring the TRC.

The issue before us was what should be protected? Is it the Government; the Party or the Motherland ? We decided that we should protect the Motherland. We are ready to sacrifice all our ministries and MP posts.

The UNP seems to be merry-making over the JVP pull out from the government. They are dreaming of the fall of the Government. But we will not allow this government to fall.

We will not allow Ranil to realise his dreams. We will begin a program to have the support of all political parties in Parliament except the UNP. We will introduce a new format to begin a new political sojourn. The JVPers are our friends.

We tell them that let us work as friendly brethren. The LTTE is our biggest enemy.The UNP is our next enemy. We will work with political parties except those two political parties."