Only MR is accused of malpractice: Madduma Bandara

While former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and others in his government were subject to accusations of corruption and malpractices former Prime Ministers D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and former Presidents J.R. Jayewardene and R. Premadasa who implemented gigantic development projects were never accused of corruption, Minister of Transport Ranjith Madduma Bandara said yesterday.

He told the media in Moneragala that the Rajapaksa regime had been accused of drawing commissions from projects and safe guarding drug traffickers and ethanol importers.

“Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that the UNP broke the charity box in Nagadeepa temple. He has forgotten that the Nagadeepa temple is guarded by the Navy.

“His statement is a wholesale condemnation of the Sri Lanka Navy. However, the whole country knows that the Rajapaksa regime robbed the State of its funds.

“During the last Presidential election he used SLTB buses to transport people to his meetings and payments for it are still outstanding. The CTB employees are facing hardship due to the delay in paying their salaries for want of funds.

“The Prime Minister and the President must be in concordance for good governance and development of the country. The people know it well how President Maithripala Sirisena has ceased dealings with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“Only Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is able to join hands with the President to implement development programmes without creating a political crisis in the country.

“The people who have realised it are rallying round the UNP. The UPFA’s only slogan is that the country would be divided if the UNP came into power. They have forgotten that Ven. Aturaliye Rathana Thera, Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera and Minister Champika Ranawaka, who initiated the campaign that ultimately wiped out terrorism, have joined hands with the UNP and formed the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG).

“All patriotic forces including university teachers and civil society organizations are with the UNFGG today,” he said.

UNP candidates contesting in the Moneragala district Sampath Jayasuriya and Harin Dharmadasa were present.