SLPP launches campaign from A’pura: Prez, PM hit back hard at Opposition

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has urged striking health workers and other professionals to commit themselves to public service.

President Rajapaksa said that as promised in the run-up to the presidential election, his government provided fertiliser free of charge and a guaranteed price for paddy thereby ensuring better living standards for the people.

The President said so at the launch of a fresh campaign to educate the people of the development drive undertaken by the government.

Declaring that his government would go before the people as an administration that had achieved success, President Rajapaksa said that their policies were formulated, taking into consideration the future generation.

Reiterating the need to face external challenges, President Rajapaksa emphasised that Covid-19 couldn’t be allowed to close down the country again.

The President asked those Opposition political parties that had been working with various unions what they did when they were in power.

Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa said that their political decisions hadn’t been influenced by impending elections. Referring to the successful war against the LTTE, Premier Rajapaksa, who gave the political leadership during the war said that if political factors were taken into consideration he wouldn’t have waged war.

Similarly, the Norochcholai coal-fired power station, Hambantota port and the Colombo Port City, too, wouldn’t have been built if they gave into opposition protests, the Premier said.

Premier Rajapaksa challenged the Opposition to confront them among the public.

The former President recalled the campaign undertaken by the government with the backing of the military at a time the Opposition was all out to sabotage it. The Premier flayed the Opposition for propagating the lie the country couldn’t secure vaccines. Then they alleged vaccines used here were inferior and called for Pfizer. Today, the US product was available for all, the Premier said.