Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara today in Parliament stressed that the SLFP has no connection to the petition challenging the gazette notification on Local Authorities to which concerns were raised that the LG polls could be further delayed.
The Minister, making a personal clarification in the House, refuted Joint Opposition (JO) MP Kanchana Wijesekara’s allegation that the SLFP members were behind the said petition, and said that it was an organized attempt to bring disrepute to the SLFP.
He also criticized Deputy Minister Ajith P Perera for giving time to the JO member to sling mud at the SLFP.
“Petitioner named ‘Rajapaksage Keerthi Mahinda Karunathilake Kumara’ is in Paduwasnuwara electoral seat. I was appointed the electoral organizer of this seat barely four and half months ago. I had not done politics with him before. He was a supporter of a former Deputy Minister,” he said.
“We fellow SLFP members work in this coalition Government based on the SLFP-UNP MoU. We have no secret deals like some in the JO and the UNP. Deputy Minister Ajith P Perera allowed MP Wijesekara to take four minutes of his time to sling mud at the SLFP,” he charged.
However, Chief Government Whip Minister Gayantha Karunathilake and Deputy Minister Ajith P Perera denied this allegation, adding that the UNP gave no additional time to the JO, but the JO MP interrupted and read out the list of names of the petitioners.
“I have no deal with the JO. I don’t have such a history as well. We want the LG elections as soon as possible. We are keenly watching what is happening,” Deputy Minister Perera replied.
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