Rallying cry for MR at Nugegoda SLFP parliamentarians' personal views...
The rally held at Nugegoda recently could be classified as one of the best held so far considering the turnout. Furthermore, people say that a crowd of this magnitude has never been witnessed at a rally organized in Nugegoda in the past. The tagline of the rally was "if you are one of the people out of the 5.7 million who voted for Mahinda Rajapaksa you should attend this rally," it was evident that there was a decent response from the supporters of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at this rally.
However, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said in several places that they would not participate in the rally because the organizers of the rally who were Wimal Weerawansa leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), Udaya Gammanpila from Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) and Vasudeva Nanayakkara from Nawa Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) had not invited the SLFP personally to attend the rally in Nugegoda.
However, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said in several places that they would not participate in the rally because the organizers of the rally who were Wimal Weerawansa leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), Udaya Gammanpila from Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) and Vasudeva Nanayakkara from Nawa Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) had not invited the SLFP personally to attend the rally in Nugegoda.
Ceylontoday, 2015-02-22 02:00:00
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Rallying cry for MR at Nugegoda SLFP parliamentarians' personal views...
BY LANKESH GOONERATNE
The rally held at Nugegoda recently could be classified as one of the best held so far considering the turnout. Furthermore, people say that a crowd of this magnitude has never been witnessed at a rally organized in Nugegoda in the past. The tagline of the rally was "if you are one of the people out of the 5.7 million who voted for Mahinda Rajapaksa you should attend this rally," it was evident that there was a decent response from the supporters of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at this rally.
However, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said in several places that they would not participate in the rally because the organizers of the rally who were Wimal Weerawansa leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), Udaya Gammanpila from Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) and Vasudeva Nanayakkara from Nawa Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) had not invited the SLFP personally to attend the rally in Nugegoda.
However, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) said in several places that they would not participate in the rally because the organizers of the rally who were Wimal Weerawansa leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF), Udaya Gammanpila from Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) and Vasudeva Nanayakkara from Nawa Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) had not invited the SLFP personally to attend the rally in Nugegoda.
Several SLFP parliamentarians attended the rally in Nugegoda as spectators. Therefore, Ceylon Today was able to speak with some Parliamentarians and Provincial Councillors from the SLFP who attended the rally knowing the party came to this decision not to participate in the rally because SLFP was not invited personally.
Prasanna Ranatunga
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Chief Minister of Western Province Prasanna Ranatunga told Ceylon Today, if the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is appointed as the Prime Ministerial candidate the SLFP will emerge victorious at the upcoming Parliamentary Election.
Furthermore, after being defeated at the Presidential Election such a response to a rally is overwhelming, because the people want former President Rajapaksa to be the Prime Minister of this country with the support of the President and Chairman of SLFP Maithripala Sirisena.
The SLFP executive committee did not prohibit the party members from attending the rally because although there wasn't a personal invitation to the party, the senior members stated it is better if the SLFP members would not participate in the rally but if they wanted to they could attend it.
Ranatunga further said that, "rumours were being spread, saying that Rajapaksa would create a new political party to contest the upcoming General Election but it is a false rumour. If Mahinda Rajapaksa is contesting in an election he will be a part of the SLFP because he wants the SLFP to be more powerful."
Therefore, the SLFP should listen to the peoples' voice and appoint the right PM Candidate in the upcoming parliamentary election, he added.
T. B. Ekanayake
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Parliamentarian T. B. Ekanayake said that the crowd at the rally was of people who wanted Rajapaksa back in power. The reports mentioned that there was a sizeable crowd of 500,000 during the rally.
Ekanayake further stated, "As an SLFP member I participated at the Nugegoda rally to represent the most powerful political party which is the SLFP. If some of the SLFP members did not participate in the rally people might think that the SLFP had been weakened."
The fact that the executive committee of the SLFP requested the members of their party, not to participate in the Nugegoda rally, because it was not organized by the party and the party was not invited is a misquotation, he added. The Nugegoda rally had an open invitation to participate. Therefore, any politician had the opportunity to attend the rally in Nugegoda.
Ekanayake speaking to Ceylon Today mentioned that the people should decide who should be the Prime Ministerial candidate. Ekanayake mentioned "even if it is Nimal Siripala de Silva or the former President Rajapaksa is chosen as the candidate we should all unite, because then the SLFP would be more powerful to emerge victorious in the upcoming Parliamentary Election."
Rajapaksa should definitely contest as the next PM candidate from the SLFP as the Nugegoda rally's enormous crowd bears witness to his popularity, he added.
C. B. Rathnayake
When questioned regarding the Nugegoda rally the SLFP Parliamentarian C.B. Rathnayake, rejected to answer on personal grounds.
Azath Salley mentioned that during the Nugegoda rally if 5000 or more people attend the rally he would resign as a politician. Therefore MP Rathnayake stated that "Azath Salley is a Muslim so Muslims do not work under one policy they keep on changing their policies day-by-day."
Manusha Nanayakkara
The crowd that attended the Nugegoda rally, was one not seen before this at a Presidential Election or any other election for that matter, SLFP parliamentarian Manusha Nanayakkara told Ceylon Today.
Nanayakkara added that, "I am one of the people out of 5.7 Million who voted for MR that is why I participated in this rally."
There were no party restrictions at all with regards to the attending of the Nugegoda rally, but there were discussions between the members of the party. We were told not to attend the rally because the SLFP as a party had not been invited by the organizers of the Nugegoda rally, but the party did not strictly deter members from attending the rally, he added.
In light of the fact, the SLFP plans to appoint a new Prime Minister under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena, but the people demand for Mahinda Rajapaksa as the next Prime Ministerial candidate, this was evident by the enormous crowd at the Nugegoda rally.
A new party by the leadership of former President Rajapaksa will not rise, it is just a rumour spread around the country as Rajapaksa mentioned if he is planning to return to contest as a politician he will definitely contest from the SLFP, he added.
Continued on page 12
Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena
The crowd at the Nugegoda rally were people who really supported former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, they hired buses to visit the rally in Nugegoda because each of them who attended the rally were one from 5.7 million who voted for former President Rajapaksa, said the SLFP Parliamentarian Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena speaking to Ceylon Today.
Furthermore, there were 100,000 people who attended the rally in Nugegoda as well.
Abeywardena further said, "The executive committee did not restrict the members of the SLFP asking them not to attend the rally in Nugegoda. The members of the party discussed and took a decision stating not to attend the rally because they had not been invited by the organizers of the rally so SLFP cannot participate in the rally."
The crowd at the Nugegoda rally were people who really supported former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, they hired buses to visit the rally in Nugegoda because each of them who attended the rally were one from 5.7 million who voted for former President Rajapaksa, said the SLFP Parliamentarian Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena speaking to Ceylon Today.
Furthermore, there were 100,000 people who attended the rally in Nugegoda as well.
Abeywardena further said, "The executive committee did not restrict the members of the SLFP asking them not to attend the rally in Nugegoda. The members of the party discussed and took a decision stating not to attend the rally because they had not been invited by the organizers of the rally so SLFP cannot participate in the rally."
A Parliamentary election date has not been confirmed yet to announce the Prime Ministerial candidate, once it is confirmed and announced the SLFP will start to discuss whom to appoint as the Prime Ministerial Candidate.
In addition, former President Rajapaksa has not mentioned that he would contest creating a new party by combining other political parties, what he stated in the leaving letter produced to SLFP was that if he planning to contest as the PM candidate he will contest as an SLFP member. It is a false rumour spread regarding the former President Rajapaksa building a party to contest the Parliamentary Elections.
Kumara Welgama
A hitherto never seen crowd of this magnitude was witnessed at the Nugegoda rally, said SLFP Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama speaking to Ceylon Today.
The rally did not provide SLFP with a personal invitation, but it was an open invitation to the voters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the presidential election. Welgama further stated, "I am one from the 5.7 million people who voted for former President Rajapaksa so we were there to bring him back to power as that's what the people want as well."
However, during a discussion between the SLFP members the party's senior members stated that because the organizers of the Nugegoda rally did not invite the SLFP personally it is better not to participate in the rally but General Secretary of the SLFP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said, if the party SLFP members wanted to attend the party there was no objection from the party as such.
There is no Prime Ministerial candidate during a Parliamentarian election; the PM is appointed according to the number of seats a party garners to emerge victorious during a general election. Furthermore, former President Rajapaksa will not need to form a new party because as a member of the SLFP he could easily contest from the SLFP, Welgama added.
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