Fertiliser will be given free of charge under new govt. : MR

Addressing the members of District Organisation of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Business Front meeting that was held at a hotel in Anuradhapura, the former President and the Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday that the steps would be taken to give fertilizer free of charge to the farmers under a new government.

He added,” the business community in this country believed that they would get a special place under a United National Party (UNP) government. The opinion that was held at that time was that a conducive environment would prevail for business activities when a United National Party comes to power. But, such hopes held by the businesses have been shattered.”

He also said that he was entrusted with the responsibility of ending the war that existed for about 30 years in this country. According to him, anybody did not ask for jobs when he went around the country in 2005; nobody asked for loans or to create an environment for doing business; their only demand was to finish the war.

Addressing the meeting, he said further that he understood the position of the economy and that the unemployment and per capita income that had decreased when the government was taken over by him. The per capita income had remained between 800 and 1200 dollars at that time according to him.

He emphasised the fact that he created an environment to enable the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people, to live peacefully not only in the south but also in the north without any fear or suspicion after finishing the war. There was a time when the people could not go to north and vice versa due to the suspicion and dissention among the people. He pointed out that those rulers who shouted that reconciliation would be created among the communities; they have done nothing about it. The reconciliation brought about among the people after finishing the war according to him.