Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Youth Front Chairman Shantha Bandara challenged former Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris who claimed that the SLFP was now limited to its name board, to obstruct the successful forward march of the SLFP Youth Front if he [Peiris] could.
“I challenge G.L. Peiris who chairs a new political movement to obstruct the SLFP Youth Front, which is now creating a huge youth force countrywide, if he is able to do so and if he thinks the SLFP has limited itself to its name board,” Bandara said.
He was addressing a press conference organised by the SLFP Youth Front at the SLFP headquarters in Colombo yesterday.
Bandara said Peiris who crossed over several times from one party to another, has no right to talk about the SLFP as he never loves the party and on several occasions crossed over to other parties. “Unlike him, we love our party. People who don’t love the party, can betray it. I urge Peiris and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa not to betray the SLFP and try to split it. Can the SLFP win the next election without unity in the party?” Bandra questioned. Speaking on the Youth Front activities, he said district level Balamandala are being set up countrywide at present.
It is observed that youths are rallying round the SLFP eagerly. The party received a huge support at a recent membership drive in the Killinochchi and Vavuniya districts. It has been scheduled to hold another Balamandala meeting in the Baticaloa and Trincomalee districts, Bandara said.
“A significant number of youths joined the SLFP leveling allegations against the political leadership in their areas.
These youths said that they were taken for a ride by the political representation in their areas. The youths said they were used by those politicians to gain political power including to enter Parliament,” Bandara said.
He added that except present President Maithripala Sirisena, both former Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa became executive presidents of the country as a result of the SLFP.
“However, the present President did not receive the direct assistance of the party to become the President. The views of the grass-roots level party membership has changed now. They want a united journey without splitting the party.”
Asked whether the new political party formed by Karuna Amman is a challenge to the SLFP’s political activities in the North and East, Bandara said it won’t be a challenge as the youths are well aware of the political trend in the country.
Bandara added that President Sirisena has been an SLFP activist for 50 years and in that period he had been the General Secretary of the SLFP for 12 years.
During his tenure as the General Secretary he was able to drive the party in the right direction wining all elections held during that period, Bandara added.
He said officials of the relevant ministries are duty bound to make the people aware regarding the activities carried out under their respective ministries.
People should be made aware regarding the Google balloon project, he said.
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