Stop shedding crocodile tears, Maithripala tells Ranil

Questions what UNP has done for agriculture sector :

Sandasen MARASINGHE

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party yesterday challenged Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to point out any positive changes, if there were any, made to develop agriculture during his regime as the Prime Minister or during the period of the UNP government, in which he was a minister, without shedding crocodile tears for the farmer community.

Speaking at a press conference at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday, party General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said the UNP and the JVP which worked for the downfall of agriculture and the farmer community, were shedding crocodile tears today.

He said the JVP set fire to 240 agrarian service and paddy storage centres during the late 1980s.

“The JVP also killed farmers who did not obey their orders, destroyed electricity supplies, roads and bridges disrupting farmers’ livelihood,” the minister said.

Sirisena said though D S Senanayake and Dudley Senanayake governments developed agriculture, the UNP governments which came into power after this, worked for the downfall of the agriculture sector.

The minister said the UNP closed the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) and sold the assets.

He said the PMB building in Polonnaruwa worth over Rs 50 million was sold at Rs 275,000 and used as the UNP District Office in the 1994 election.

The minister said the UNP also suspended Agro Promotion Services and its officers.