People with UPFA - SLFP General Secretary

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

The grateful people’s assistance is always with the UPFA as the Government has eradicated LTTE terrorism which had been dragging on for three decades. The UNP will face an ignominious defeat and will experience a tragic result at the August 8 Uva Provincial Council Election, Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary and Agriculture and Agrarian Services Development Minister Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday.

The Minister who was addressing a press conference, said the Uva people who are mainly a farming community will stand for the victory of the UPFA since the United National Party has done nothing for Uva farmers. “During the UNP regime, the fertilizer subsidy was cancelled. Moreover they did nothing for the welfare of the farmers who exceed 90 percent of Uva population,” Sirisena added.

The Minister challenged the UNP to reveal if the UNP has done anything for the farming community during their two and half year rule. “Unlike the UNP, the present Government reintroduced the fertilizer subsidy as soon as it came to power. Additionally the farmers get a better price for their produce while getting guaranteed prices for some products as a result of the steps taken by the Government.”

“The UNP leader has therefore refrained from speaking about the farmers. The UNP has totally forgotten the agriculture field. But the Government stands for the farmers as the Government has clearly understood the value of developing the agricultural sector in the country. The Government has taken every possible step to streamline the agriculture sector as it leads to the betterment of the farming community,” Sirisena noted.

“The UNP and UPFA agriculture policies are different and far apart like the North Pole and the South Pole. The UPFA grants all possible benefits to the farmers while the UNP had reduced all benefits,” he stressed.

The Opposition Leader has mentioned that a great amount of funds which the Government has allocated for the development of the North and East would go to the pockets of certain people in the Government. “The Opposition Leader has pointed out such a big amount is not needed for the development activities of North and East.

It is clear that the UNP’s intention is to stop the foreign aid received for the development of these areas”.

The UNP’s latest conspiracy is to stop foreign funding, the Minister stressed.

Education Minister and UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said the Government will make a clean sweep at the forthcoming elections not only in Uva but also in Vavuniya and Jaffna. The Government has completed selecting suitable candidates for the Southern Provincial Council Election. The UNP will experience a bitter defeat also from the Southern Provincial Council election as all Forces of the Government have focused on the victory of the Southern Provincial Council Election.

“As a result of the peaceful situation in the country, almost all political parties are engaged in political activities peacefully in Jaffna and Vavuniya without any obstacle,” Premajayantha said.