Colombo: Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader and leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan slammed the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa for misleading the public on the ethnic issue during the local government election campaign for "cheap political gain".
Speaking at the adjournment debate in parliament on the political crisis risen in the country following the local government elections, the Opposition Leader criticized the joint opposition for creating the political instability in the government and demanding to dissolve the parliament. Producing the election results, the TNA leader pointed out that former president's party got 44.69 per cent as opposed to 55.31 per cent cast against him. "It is indisputable," he said.
He noted that the "Parliament is not constituted on the basis of votes cast at the local authority election. Parliament is constituted and President was elected on the basis of the presidential election and parliamentary election held with that purpose in keeping with the constitution and the laws of this country."
"The constitution and the laws of this country cannot be subverted by your claiming benefits under local authority election to your advantage the way you please," the Opposition Leader said. Sampanthan said he was alarmed that in the early stage of the campaign the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa said that Tamil Eelam will be blooming again after the elections. He said the people of the country were misled by the former president saying that a vote for the government or the UNP or SLFP would be a vote to revive the Tamil Eelam and that misleading propaganda was carried out in all places, temples and in the South. "It is abhorrent to play the racial card," he said.
Sampanthan said his party in its election manifesto stated that it wants a political solution within the framework of 'undivided, indivisible single country". "There was no campaign carried on anywhere in the north and the east which talked of division of the country. We only talked about a solution that is acceptable to our people that is reasonable, substantial power sharing within the framework of a united undivided, indivisible single country."
He said the former president's and his Podujana party's election campaign at the local government election was "malicious, vicious, fallacious, false propaganda". "If you persist in this agenda, Eelam will bloom; not out of us but it will bloom out of your own lotus bud. Your lotus bud will bloom into Eelam," the Opposition Leader said addressing the former president. "Please resist your temptation to achieve cheap political gain by carrying on such false propaganda," he said concluding his speech.
