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Friday, 18 March 2016 00:47 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A section of the massive crowd cheer as MP and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa addresses them at Hyde Park yesterday
- Pic by Lasantha Kumara
By Chamodi Gunawardana
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday claimed a ‘revengeful Government’ cannot impede him from engaging politics even if they arrest his entire family on what he insisted were false charges.
Addressing a sizeable public gathering at the Joint Opposition “Jana Satana” rally at Hyde Park Rajapaksa said he will never betray his family’s respect by leaving politics due to the fear of punishment.
“I administrated this land for nearly a decade and I did not curtail any subsidies which we provided for the general public. I would like to request the Government to hand over the country again to me if it is really unable to govern it better,” Rajapaksa said.
Indicating a list of loans which he obtained by his regime for development projects Rajapaksa said he had completed all the projects which he received the funding for.
“I did not keep millions of debts to be paid by the current Government as they claim. I did the best for the country’s development,” he said.
The Joint Opposition announced that 46 MPs out of 52 had attended the rally as it predicted. It said four MPs including Prasanna Ranatunga, Vidura Wickramanayaka, Prasanna Ranaweera and Roshan Ranasinghe were abroad and another two MPs were unable to show up due to health conditions.
However 36 Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs who are well-known Rajapaksa supporters including Dullas Alahapperuma , Kumara Welgama , Bandula Gunawardena, Gamini Lokuge, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Mahindananda Aluthgamamage , Namal Rajapaksa, Johnston Fernando and Pavithra Wanniarachchi were seen at the meeting despite the party’s Central Committee having banned their participation.
The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MPs including Dinesh Gunawardena, Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Vasudeva Nanayakkara addressed the gathering. Janatha Sevaka Party Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe had dedicated his support to the rally.
Rajapaksa’s brothers former minister Basil Rajapaksa and former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa were seen at the fore.
