UPFA victory assured in all the 3 provinces

Propaganda activities of the United People’s Freedom Alliance for the forthcoming provincial council elections are being carried out very successfully. Already 2,400 pocket meetings have been held and 14 main rallies have been organized. President Mahinda Rajapakse and the leaders of the UPFA will participate in these rallies.

This was stated by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Skill Development Dullas Alahapperuma addressing a Media Conference at the Mahaweli Development Centre in Colombo yesterday.

The minister said that the bankruptcy of the opposition is clearly evident in the elections and challenged the United National Party to win at least six seats in the Eastern Provincial Council and said they would obtain only five seats.

Speaking further, Minister Alahapperuma said that as usual the opposition is making childish statements and spreading communalism to entice voters. Contrary to this, the government is making every effort to strengthen amity among the communities and build reconciliation. The Minister requested the opposition not to shatter the reconciliation efforts being made by the government.

He said that the opposition UNP is blaming the government for pedophilla crimes but they have forgotten that the Gonawala Sunil who was convicted for a pedophilla crime by the Courts was given a presidential pardon during the UNP regime and he was also made an all island Justice of the Peace. He said that the Chairman of a Pradeshiya Sabha suspected of a crime of this nature has already been sacked from the party by the government.

The Minister said that the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will definitely record a landslide victory in the elections which the UPFA is contesting having carried out unprecedented development in the provinces during the past four years.

He said that the UPFA launched its victorious election campaign from Anuradhapura under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the next rally will be held  in Ratnapura on August 26 and Ampara on August 27 with the participation of the President.

Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara joining the media conference said that when the opposition criticizes the government’s programmes they should offer better alternatives as well.

Parliamentarian Prabha Ganeshan said that although the Tamil National Alliance attempts to get the votes of the Tamil people they have so far failed to nominate their members to the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed for solving the Tamil Problem. He said the TNA has been putting forward the same slogan from 2008 that the government has failed to fulfill the Tamil people's aspirations. He said the TNA is keen only to create issues among the people in the Eastern province since it has no future without disputes. (niz)