UNP stalwart bemoans step-motherly treatment

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

‘I was a UNPer for decades and a UNPer from the beginning. It was my father who introduced late President R. Premadasa to A.E. Gunasinghe and got a chance for him to contest Central Colombo. I work for Shri Sucharitha Movement as its vice chairman. I contested a CMC seat under the UNP in 1997 and 2002. This time I was prevented from contesting by the UNP leadership. Therefore I will contest from the DUA, Vijitha Kadiragonna told the `Daily News’ yesterday.

Kadiragonna said that in 1997, he was given a chance to contest for the CMC by late Gamini Athukorala under the direction of Hema Premadasa. He thanked late Athukorala and Mrs. Premadasa for giving him that opportunity. `I contested in 2002 and won. In 2002, I was promised the opportunity to contest in the Provincial Council election but was denied a chance.

‘Then I was invited to join the UPFA but I stayed back because of the promises made to me by UNP leaders’, he said.

‘But this time they failed to keep the promises to give me a chance to contest for the CMC on the UNP ticket. They appointed another person as their mayoral candidate instead of me. Sajith Premadasa requested nominations for me from the UNP leader, but he refused to oblige, he pointed out. The UNP leader was poisoned against me by another leading UNP politician from Kotte stating that I am one of the reformists who demanded reforms in the UNP and supported another UNP (deputy) Leader.

‘Then the leader of the DUA Nazeer Ahamed invited me and I joined his party. I wish to thank Minister Mervyn Silva for inviting me to join the UPFA. I appreciate his invitation very much and it means a lot to me, he added.