Success of SLFP rallies indicated party’s strength - Media Minister

Uditha Kumarasinghe and Nadira Gunatilleke

COLOMBO: Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa yesterday said demonstrations organised by the SLFP in 150 places countrywide on Thursday showed the unity within the SLFP and that a majority of the people are still with the SLFP- led Government.

These countrywide demonstrations organised by the SLFP to protest the statement by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on the JHU also gave a strong message to the people that any faction of the SLFP has no ability whatsoever to topple the SLFP-led Government, the Minister told a media briefing at the Government Information Department yesterday.

“We have again proven that the SLFP is a very strong political party. The mammoth crowd around the SLFP on Thursday indicated that the majority of the people are with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government.”

The Minister said: “Nobody can challenge a leader like President Rajapaksa who loves the people.”

Yapa said the SLFP mustered 500,000 people for its demonstrations. “The agitation campaign conducted by UNP in collaboration with the SLFP Mahajana Wing is another unsuccessful attempt made against the Government. They could not bring even 15,000 people to Colombo. The entire vision of the UNP completely collapsed due to this rally.”

The UNP is attempting to turn into a new political party by wearing new clothes. The only intention of the UNP leader is to come to power by toppling the Government. But he has no vision to put forward the country, the Minister said.

The Government has decided to conduct series of political rallies countrywide. The next rally will be held in Kurunegala on August 4.

The Government through such rallies will show the public the stability and unity within the SLFP.

The Minister said the Government will continue its full term of office. The Government has no intention whatsoever of conducting elections before the due date. “We are a fully democratic Government. We will not provide any room to the UNP to topple the Government.”

At present the Government has taken all measures to free the country from terrorism. The sole intention of the Government is to provide a political solution to the ethnic problem in consultation with all political parties.

The Government has used all its strength to develop the country, he said. Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said Thursday’s political rally jointly organised the UNP and the SLFP Mahajana Wing clearly indicated the depth to which the UNP has sunk. Except new organisers, senior UNP organisers were not seen in this rally.

The Hyde Park ground is normally used to conduct trade union meetings.

If the UNP could bring a massive crowd to Colombo, they would have chosen the CMC grounds for it. This is the first agitation campaign organised by the UNP against the Government. But it was a damp squib, he said.

“I would like to request the President to restore the civic rights of S.B. Dissanayake. Then he will launch some struggle within the UNP to re-establish it’s internal democracy as he has a good understanding of grassroots level politics.”

The MoU signed by the UNP with SLFP Mahajana Wing is not a legal agreement.

This has not been submitted and approved by any UNP convention, he added.

“I would like to ask the UNP Chairman, General Secretary and National Organiser they were aware of this agreement. The UNP’s Friends’ Company are behind this agreement.

The UNP Democratic Group will take legal action against this MoU,” the Minister remarked.