Seven UPFA rallies with President’s participation

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

The first main political rally of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will be held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday in Anuradhapura.

The second main rally will be in Ratnapura.

There will be seven rallies with the participation of the President, UPFA General Secretary and Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha said.

Minister Premajayantha said the UPFA will record a massive victory at the upcoming Provincial Council election.

Addressing a press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday, he said:"The UPFA will remain as one united government although it has 19 political parties with different political ideologies. President Rajapaksa did not let the country and the people fall even in the midst of floods and droughts. Our soldiers did not give up their task even during floods. That is how victories were achieved," he said.

Premajayantha said the UPFA has already set up committees at polling station level and was strictly following rules and regulations imposed by the Elections Commissioner.

"All UPFA PC position holders are on leave to carry out election campaign leaving their duties to the deputies. Fullest support has been extended to the Police and the Elections Commissioner to maintain law and order. The third meeting of party secretaries will be held on August 22," he said.

Minister Premajayantha said there was no race for preferential votes this time. "All UPFA political parties have been instructed to prevent competition for preferential votes. The UPFA government has carried out a massive development drive in all three provinces since it rescued and opened Mavil Aru waterway in 2008 to provide water for the people in the East. Today, the people travel to their destinations within minutes through carpeted roads. Farmers in the East are today engaed in harvesting without paying ransoms. People are employed and earning money through tourism, the fishing industry and agriculture," the minister said. He said all loans obtained by the government have been invested as capitals. The amount of loans have been brought down from 105 percent in 2002 to 80 percent in 2012. The target is bringing it below 75 percent.

Over 90 percent of the Sabaragamuwa Province has been provided electricity. Farmers today get Rs 75 for a kilogram of tea leaves and it was only Rs 25 in the past, the minister said. Premajayantha said farmers destroyed tea leaves in the past.

"Over 100 Muslims were massacred in the Katankudi Mosque in the past. Today, nothing like that takes place anywhere in the country. The Opposition is today using floods and droughts as slogans because they cannot find anything worthwhile," the minister said.