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Mahinda Chintana:
Over 98 percent fulfilled
Rasika Somarathna
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Over 5,000 UNPers, JVPers support President
Tissa Attanayake’s
father-in-law among them:
Rasika Somarathna
The father-in-law of United National Party
General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and more than 5,000 UNP
and JVP supporters, including several local politicians of
the North Central Province pledged support to President
Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday.
A large number of UNP and JVP supporters
gathered at President’s House in Anuradhapura yesterday
evening to extend their support and show solidarity with the
Government. Speaking to the media after the gathering was
addressed by the President and several other Ministers, UNP
strongman Tissa Attanayake’s father-in-law, P.B. Jayatilleke
said he, along with others had joined hands to ensure an
unprecedented victory for President at the forthcoming
elections.
He also said the whole country was for
ever indebted to President Rajapaksa who had saved the
country from the clutches of terrorism.
While emphasising that the President’s
victory was a foregone conclusion, he added: “I along with
others decided to extend support to the President to show
our gratitude to a leader who not only saved this country
but also is taking it in the correct path-the path to
prosperity.”
During the event it was also revealed that
P.B. Jayatilleke, 76, had been an ardent supporter and an
active member of the UNP for 60 long years.
The UNP and JVP supporters who joined the
event also said that the crowd had to be limited at the
gathering due to the unavailability of space and many others
from the area who did not attend too were in support of the
President. |
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday when he came into power he
introduced a people friendly manifesto Mahinda Chinthana and told the
public if it could be successfully implemented, the benefits would be
for the whole country.
“People accepted it and rallied round us with new vigour. We never
forgot our election promises. Today I have come forward for re-election
after completing 98 percent of my promises,” he added.
Addressing entrepreneurs and businessmen, bus owners and farmers from
the North and East and the North Central Province in Anuradhapura,
President Rajapaksa said these gains had been made by alleviating the
defeatist mentality which prevailed in the country a few years back.
President Rajapaksa asserted that after the triumph against
terrorism, the Government was now ready to make Sri Lanka, South Asia’s
most prosperous Nation in the near future. The President emphasized that
the Government led by him had fulfilled the people’s aspirations by
defeating the forces of terror and leading the country on the path of
development.
The President pointed out that when he took over the people did not
have any faith and confidence in their abilities as they thought that
the country did not have a future.
“They thought that the war could not be won and Prabhakaran could not
be defeated. They thought that the country would be divided soon.
Farmers were treated shabbily. Support for local agriculture was not
given. Then regimes were more concerned on importing luxury food items.
As a result farmers resorted to suicide,” President Rajapaksa said.
“We changed all that in short span of four years. We instilled belief
in small scale entrepreneurs and farmers by providing them with all
necessities,” he said.
We provided fertilizer at the subsidized price of Rs 350 even when it
shot upto Rs 9,500. We gave loans at a very low interest,” the President
added.
Ministers S.M.Chandrasena, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Johnston
Fernando, Killinochchi and Mullaitivu Business Community leader M.
Ignatius and North Central Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake
also spoke.
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