Harin to launch death fast if police are biased
United National Party (UNP) chief ministerial candidate Harin Fernando yesterday threatened to launch a death fast if the police and the other authorities continued to act biased in favour of the Government when maintaining law and order in the Uva Province.
The police are only removing the posters and cutouts put up by opposition parties
Mr. Fernando told a media briefing he would fast to death if the authorities attempted to remove his party’s propaganda material while permitting the ruling party to continue displaying its propaganda material.
“We will put up cutouts of our leaders just like the ruling party which is putting up cutouts of their leaders and will launch a death fast if they are removed,” he said.
Mr. Fernando said he had been asked to remove the posters which had his name with the ‘right’ mark with Sinhala spellings.
He accused the police of being biased in favour of the Government when it came to granting permission to ruling party candidates to open election offices while being reluctant to grant permission to the opposition to do so.
Mr. Fernando pledged to withdraw from the campaign if it was proved that he had had secret dealings with the Government. He said this while rejecting news reports that he had met UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa in Uva Paranagama recently.
UNPLeadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya who intervened at this point said the party did not consider the meeting between Mr. Fernando and Mr. Rajapaksa as an issue. Responding to a question raised by the journalists on the party’s decision to appoint another candidate as the party leader for the Badulla District, Mr. Fernando said it made no difference to him.
“I sacrificed my MP’s post on behalf of the party and am prepared to resign and hand over the chief ministerial post to anyone who is elected to the post.
Mr. Fernando hoped that all leaders who loved the party would be on one campaign platform.
“Those who don’t love the party will be exposed soon,” he added.
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