JHU and Champika question TNA

4 August 2011 05:55 pm Views - 5943

Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) General Secretary and Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka questioned the right the TNA has to take up the issue that number of seats from Jaffna has been reduced as a consensus has not been taken place in Jaffna for a long time and they still have the number of voters which was recorded in 1988.

“By looking at the elections results and the number of votes they were able to obtain, they should get around five seats,” he added.

“The election which took place in Jaffna was a fake election,” he said. He also responded to the recent comments made by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaranatunga saying that during her time 12,000 soldiers were killed and she did not take steps to honour and respect the sacrifices they made.

JHU Leader Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said that the eight JHU candidates including two monks from Welikanda, Embilipitiya, Harispattuwa, Kantale, Balangoda and Yatinuwara should work and fulfill their promises without working on personal agendas as they were able to win at the election by obtaining a large number of preferential votes.

“We will show everyone how we are going to develop the villages under a monk. During the campaign not a single complaint was lodged against our candidates,” the thera added.

“The people have given a clear mandate to the ruling UPFA that they want to move ahead into the future with the government which eradicated terrorism,” Ven. Sobitha Thera said.

JHU Parliamentary Leader Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera advised the newly elected members for local government bodies to work with creativeness to develop the village and bring prosperity to the people.

Ven. Vewelduwe Naraprabha Thera obtained the highest number of preferential votes by contesting for the Embilipitiya Municipal Council and took oaths as the Mayor of Embilipitiya. It was the first time in Sri Lanka that a Buddhist monk was elected as a mayor.

The eight JHU candidates who were elected took oaths yesterday in front of the JHU leaders. A number of party supporters were present at the ceremony. (By Supun Dias)