President at UPFA rally:

I defended people’s rights

Never sought to halt foreign assistance to country:

Dhanushka Godakumbura in Ratnapura

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that although the aim of certain persons is to take him to the international court and place him on the electric chair, nobody would be able to put an end to his heart beat for the people of the country.

The President said that he always spoke for the rights of the people. President Rajapaksa said when he went to the Geneva conference by foot, Tiger terrorists came to the conference in Benz vehicles.

He said he went there to complain about the massacre of youth.

President Rajapaksa said that anybody had the right to do politics, but nobody should sacrifice the motherland for their benefit.

He said the UNP was today accusing him over the conflict in their party but he had not fallen to such bankrupt levels.

President Rajapaksa was addressing the district conference in Ratnapura at the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council Auditorium yesterday. This conference was organized by the UPFA to solicit support for the UPFA candidates contesting the forthcoming Local Government Polls.

The President recalled that he always spoke on behalf of the welfare of the country’s people when in foreign countries, but never made any request on foreign lands to put an end to the assistance given by foreign countries to this country. He said although the UNP when they were in power launched scathing attacks on his party and members, he would never fall into such a low level and take revenge from them. He added that everybody had the right to do politics in this country.

Among those who addressed the meeting were Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Professor Tissa Vitharana, W D J Seneviratne, Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Deputy Minister Geethanjana Gunawardena and J R P Suriapperuma MP.