JVP accuses President of misleading public

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) claims the public is being misled by the President’s personal involvement in election campaign of the governing party in three provinces.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a news conference yesterday that attempts by the Elections Commissioner and his officials to hold a free and fair election are being hampered by the governing party.

He said that election laws could be violated in three ways – operating illegal election offices, misusing public properties and offering bribes to voters.

He pointed out that the President is engaged in the governing party election campaign and was making false promises to the people to garner votes.

“The President says that loans without interest would be offered to farmers to cultivate and that due to the destruction of paddy lands, the banks would offer relief to the loans that have already been taken by farmers,” he noted.

According to Silva, it is common practice for the banks to recover loans from the following harvest in the event a farmer’s harvest is destroyed due to natural causes.

He pointed out that the governing party has resorted to violence against the JVP although the government claims it did not have any competition from the opposition at the elections.

“On 1 September the JVP office in Gemunupura, Trincomalee was attacked and three other party offices in Padiyathalwa were torched,” he said.

“We are glad that the government has accepted the JVP to pose a challenge to them. We call on the people to use their votes properly and wisely at the elections,” he added.