DARSHANA SANJEEWA BALASURIYA 
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Hakeem rejects govt. charges
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem said today his party neither demanded a separate administrative district nor had any secret agreement with the TNA to amalgamate North and East as alleged by the government.Mr. Hakeem said the Muslim Congress was formed as a result of the fight to separate North and East.
“The government is making allegations that the SLMC and the TNA have secret agreement to amalgamate the North and the East. We strongly reject that allegation and regret even the President is making such allegations on stage. We do not have any hidden agendas between us. We left the government to uphold good governance in the country,” Hakeem said.
He told a news conference that the SLMC condemned the allegation that they were demanding a separate district or province in East and said it was the government that suggested appointing a separate Additional Divisional Secretary in Amapara to facilitate the Tamil speaking majority in the coastal area in Ampara District.
“During the discussions with the government, it was suggested appointing a separate Additional Divisional Secretary (or AGA) to resolve administrative problems of 96 per cent of Tamil speaking people in the coastal areas of the Ampara District.
“As a result, the government appointed an Additional Divisional Secretary a month ago to decentralise administration in the district. The same thing happened in the Vavuniya District, where such separate Divisional Secretary was appointed to facilitate Sinhala people. But the government is spreading false news that we are demanding a separate district,” he said.
Mr. Hakeem said the government was spreading false news among the Sinhala Buddhists regarding SLMC principles to create wrong picture about them in the minds of Sinhala people.
UNP Leadership Council President Karu Jayasuriya said the Temple Trees had become a political office which created false news regarding opposition candidates.
Mr. Jayasuriya alleged that the State media were being used to sling mud at opposition politicians.
Democratic People's Front leader Mano Ganeshan said the Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese had got a good opportunity to join hands and move forward after the war was completed.
He requested the government not to damage the re-union of all the communities by spreading false news and said the government must be happy about this reunion if it really loved the country. (Ajith Siriwardana)
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