Defence Secretarty, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa last night claimed that opposition candidate Gen.Sarath Fonseka distorted facts to gain public sympathy aimed to achieve political mileage and added that he(Defence Secretary) had given all what Gen.Fonseka wanted from the state including a 25 perched prime land in Colombo and a car worth Rs.44 million.

The Defence Secretary made these observations during in television interview televised yesterday through all channels in the electronic TV media.

He said the present situation to gain political mileage and public sympathy had been manipulated by Fonseka over a period of time and pointed out that the President by powers vested in him by the constitution had powers to appoint the suitable sevice commanders.

"The President accordingly appointed Fonseka as Army Commander though the then Commander, Shantha Kottegoda had two more years."Had that not been done, Gen.Fonseka would have retired in some other rank", the Defence Secretary noted.

Clarifyling media reports that Gen.Fonseka had no land, the Defence Secretary Rajapaksa said that the service commanders who served during the conclusion of the war were given ten perches of land in Colombo."When Gen/Fonseka appealed that the extent of the land gifted was inadequate, it was enlarged to 25 perches and the market value of a perch of that prime land was Rs.90 million', explained the Secretary of Defence.

Hurt over the manner Gen.Fonseja was attempting to bury the truth, the Defence Secretary stated that when Gen.Fonseka requested to retain the vehicle he used, the government acceeded and gave him that vehicle is valued at Rs.44 million."He only paid a meagre Rs.3 million for that transactioon", said Rajapaksa,

He said the government would never withdraw facilities afforded to war heroes and would always respect them in high esteem.

The Defence secretary claimed that the moral support given by the President was a great incentive to battling troops and lamented that despite the opposition claim that Sarath Fonseka was not even suitable to be the Commander of the Salvation Army, Fonseka had decided to be the candidate of that opposition that humiliated him.

Courtesy: The Government News Portal