Rejected nominations:

Parties can seek legal help

Political parties can seek legal assistance in connection with rejected nominations under the election law and the Constitution.

“It takes time to study the cases and give judgments. Therefore there is no option other than postponing the LG polls in selected LG bodies,” Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said.

Addressing the weekly press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre Auditorium yesterday, Minister de Silva said the Opposition is now to hang on to the issue of postponing LG polls because they do not have any other issue to use for the election campaign. It was the Opposition which wanted the Election Commission and to strengthen the Elections Commissioner. Now they are protesting against the same.

Minister De Silva pointed out that there will be no shortage of paddy because only 14 per cent of the paddy fields had been destroyed due to floods. Paddy was cultivated in 150,000 extra hectares in 2011 including North and East. Therefore paddy productions in 2010 and 2011 are the same. Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Seneviratne said the UNP waited till the public turn against the Government due to the cost of living but it did not happen.

There was rain for five months and Sri Lanka faced one of the biggest natural disasters after 1957. The President or the Government did not have supernatural powers to stop natural disasters. The UPFA never tried to stop people from voting and always tried to let the people cast their vote. The UNP does not have a plan for the country. It only wants to grab the power. It is bound to suffer a definite defeat. NG