Calm at Central, NCP campaigns

by Wijitha NAKKAWITA

The Provincial Council election campaigns in the Central and North Western Provinces during the recent days did not show any signs of becoming vibrant as the main opposition party in the fray the UNP had decided to start its first major campaign meetings only after February 2.

There were some JVP meetings in the two provinces but there again momentum had not gathered like in the previous campaigns.

Addressing a UPFA meeting at Narammala in the NWP Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake referring to the recent incidents on attacks on media personnel said every time when a SLFP led government came to power there were coups and conspiracies to topple such governments. When the SLFP led MEP came to power in 1956 the Premier S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike was assassinated as the result of a right wing conspiracy.

In 1962 there was a coup to topple the government of Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike and again a conspiracy to topple that SLFP government led by a minister Mahanama Samaraweera the father of the parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera. The UNP was behind these conspiracies and coups.

Ceylon Workers Congress leader, Minister Saumyamoorthi Thondaman addressing a press conference at Kandy on the stand of the CWC in the provincial council election on Friday (22) said the CWC will give unconditional support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government as the government had worked for the welfare and uplift of the planation workers.

The former SLFP and UNP Minister S.B.Dissanayake addressing a press conference at the Leader of the Opposition Office, Colombo two days back said he had called upon the government to hold free and fair provincial council elections but even if the government does not allow such polls to take place he was prepared to face any situation whatsoever.