UNP will not be a party to a sham Batti. Poll -Ranil

(March 5,Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) UNP and Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing a meeting of a number of Organisations including Civil societies , International communities and others, at the LJSWU Headquarters in Rajagiriya, said the Govt. trying to hold local polls in Batticaloa while encouraging armed groups and violence in the District is a total farce.

Answering questions as to why UNP decided not to contest the polls, he said , UNP has been the main target of election violence , yet ,it braved the Govt. backed aggression and intimidation as far as possible. Now, as the Govt. is treating the bullet as mightier than the ballot with Gotabaya and Basil Rajapakse Brothers manipulating armed groups to suit their dastardly ends, no party with sanity could contest in the climate of increased killings and security deterioration confirmed by all democracy prone groups.
Who surveyed the area? Besides, Govt.’s human rights record is so putrid that it has provoked condemnation here and abroad, he added.