UPFA wants UNP opinion on TNA manifesto

By Chamodi Gunawardana

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday charged that the United National Party (UNP) Government should reveal its opinion on the Tamil National Alliance’s (TNA) manifesto which was launched on Saturday.

Commenting on the TNA manifesto, UPFA Matara District Group Leader Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday stressed that there was no room for democracy in the manifesto.

“We believe the TNA is calling for separatism. It has demanded a power sharing arrangement in a unit of a re-merged Northern and Eastern Province under a federal structure. It has called for devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty to ensure the safety and security of Tamil people too. We urge the UNP Government to reveal its opinion on these demands,” Alahapperuma noted.

He also charged that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wanted to hold the election prior to the releasing of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) report.

“Wickremesinghe was blessing separatism during his tenure in office. He had an agreement with the LTTE without informing former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in 2002. Following the same political agenda he forced the authorities to hold the election before 21 August. However, the UNHRC report is scheduled to be released on that day. Wickremesinghe just wants to let the country get in trouble,” Alahapperuma alleged.

UPFA Media Committee President Dilan Perera claimed that Wickremesinghe was the first person who should resign from his position due to allegations.

“Minister of Public Order and Christian Affairs John Amaratunga has said that UNP would take a writ order against the UPFA Gampaha list since there was a recognised criminal in it. However we believe that Wickremesinghe is the first candidate who should resign, because he had so many allegations over corruption and crimes such as the Batalanda detention centre incident,” Perera charged.

Attacking the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Perera said that the JVP was working under a contract of the UNP to reduce the UPFA vote base.

“The JVP has become a main branch of the UNP. Its Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been following Wickremesinghe’s orders against the UPFA. That is the so-called ‘good governance’,” he charged.