Dullas accuses President of attempting to obtain opposition seal of approval for political agenda

• Says President showed how not to hold an all-party meeting
• Claims it was highly unsuccessful and was a mere political ploy
• Alleges public was not presented with an accurate depiction of the meeting
• Questions President’s willingness to devolve power due to reluctance to hold LG polls 

Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) leader MP Dullas Alahapperuma accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday of attempting to gain the opposition’s seal of approval for his political plans in the guise of discussing the 13th amendment to the constitution. 

During a press conference held at the party’s headquarters, the MP said that this endeavour, unfortunately, resulted in a complete failure. 

“The President displayed before the entire world exactly how not to hold an all-party meeting,” Alahapperuma said.

According to the MP, his faction participated in the meeting as a responsible political party; however, it was not without a myriad of doubts and suspicions.

“We felt it was a ploy by the President to obtain the opposition’s endorsement for his political agenda,” he noted. 

According to the MP, the public was not presented with an accurate depiction of the meeting. “Instead, they were only informed about a heavily edited version of it,” he said. The MP asserted that the reality was quite different, as the meeting was, in fact, unsuccessful.

The MP questioned the President’s willingness to devolve power, considering his reluctance to conduct Local Government polls. “Is this not a reasonable doubt?” he asked. 

Alahapperuma also called on the Government to reach a consensus on the 13A prior to holding discussions with other parties. “The President holds a different opinion to that of the Premier. The ruling SLPP has an entirely different opinion,” he noted. 

“Reach a consensus and make an official announcement. Do not confuse the people. Do not increase the doubts in the minds of our Tamil brethren,” he said. 

“The drama over the devolution of powers is a mere tactic aimed at polls,” the MP alleged. Alapahheruma called on the President to prevent any fraudulent manipulation of democracy and the future of the people. “We urge him to put an end to this deceitful political gambling immediately,” he said.