Addressing the weekly United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday, he said the UPFA has already conducted six main election rallies and 7,000 grassroot level meetings and 3,000 polling station based meetings. The UPFA campaign is proceeding without any challenge from the Opposition, the Minister said.

According to Minister Alahapperuma public sector workers who work in cities do not fear for their lives because terrorism has been eradicated. The UPFA has the sole right to request their vote because it liberated them from fear and anxiety. It increased the number of public sector employees up to 1.2 million. The Opposition leader who planned to cut down the public sector by 50 percent and included it as the state policy is shedding crocodile tears.

The Opposition should apologize for what they did to the public sector employees. They are now trying to present themselves as saviors he said.

Minister Alahapperuma pointed out that during the Presidential Election, the UPFA revealed the secret pact that existed between the TNA and the Presidential candidate but the UNP and the JVP condemned it.

This time the UPFA can prove it because merging the North and East is included in TNA’s election manifesto. The UNP and the JVP are now silent about it, he said.

The UNP is using desperate tactics to win votes, the Minister said. The UNP using pictures of religious leaders in advertisements.

For the very first time in the world, a political party is using pictures of religious leaders for an election campaign. No NGO or any other person/organization has condemned this so far. It has already used the pictures state of the Buddha and Jesus Christ. It will use Islamic religious pictures next. This shows the pathetic situation of the opposition, he said.

The UNP is promoting its popular myth again and that only it can develop the country. They say only they can do business.

It is very difficult to eradicate a myth. All economic, social, health and other Internationally recognized indicators clearly show whether the UNP or the UPFA developed the country, he said.

All five reservoirs built by the UNP regime add only 660 megawatts of electricity to the National Grid. Norochcholai and Kerawalapitiya add 1,200 megawatts to the National Grid. The UNP imported Kankun from abroad and destroyed the keera business. Many farmers drank poison and died during his time.

The opposition leader said no more irrigation projects will be launched during his time and today he speaks about paddy because of the work done by the UPFA. But he has to prove the changes of his policies by practice, the minister said.

Courtesy: Daily News