• Ranil was able to become the President just because Sajith Premadasa refused

By AJITH SIRIWARDANA

Claiming that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is not a crafty man as claimed, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday he will have to go home even before the end of his scheduled term, if he attempts to evade the Presidential election by any means. Speaking at the Kurunegala District Women's convention, he said a new discussion had arisen on the need to scrap the Executive Presidency and said it was an age-old slogan. 

"Some people say Ranil is a crafty man. He became the President with a single seat in Parliament. He will do something to evade the Presidential election as well.

Ranil is not a crafty man as claimed. He will have to go home even before his term of office, if he attempts to evade the Presidential election. Ranil was able to become the President just because Sajith Premadasa refused Gotabaya Rajapaksa's request to take up the Presidency. Otherwise, Ranil would be just an MP now. Gotabaya first requested Sajith and then Sarath Fonseka to take up the Presidency. Fonseka wanted three days to make a decision and Gotabaya was not in a position to delay it by three days. As the third option, he requested Ranil. He took it up as he had nothing to lose," Dissanayake said.

Dissanayake said Ranil was not a hero to take up the Presidency, but he should be ashamed of becoming the President with the votes of the MPs who were elected with a promise to jail Ranil for the Central Bank bond scam.

He said women will be a decisive factor in the upcoming elections and said they make up 56 percent of the votes in Sri Lanka.