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Known as the man who attacked the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with his rifle butt on July 30, 1987 a day after the Indo Lanka Accord was signed, Vijitha Rohan Wijayamuni, a sailor attached to the Sri Lanka Navy, has made  a name as a patriot and a politician.

Released from jail for what he did, Wijemuni contested an election in 1990 from the Bhumi Puthra Party and later from the Sihala Urumaya in 2000. Returning to politics 14 years after he contested for the General Election from Sihala Urumaya, Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni, sailor turned well-known astrologer, is to contest the upcoming Western Provincial Council Elections as a United National Party (UNP) candidate. In an interview, Mr. Wijemuni spoke of his future political plans while making many predictions on Sri Lankan politics.



Q:What made you to rejoin politics from adifferent party?
I was elected third from the Sihala Urumaya from the Colombo District securing 15,645 votes in 2000. I got so many votes without financial support from the party. The  Sihala Urumaya had a different agenda at that election. I now see that the intentions of some of the parties who came forward to form a Sinhala-Buddhist force were not genuine.  
I got so many votes because I had been in jail for doing something for the country. I don’t have to make a  name for myself because my name is written in the hearts of the people. But I realised that if I want to come back to politics I have to come from one of the main two parties and the best party to contest from is the United National Party.

"There were 43 Councillors in the Colombo district and each of them received Rs. 5 million a year to serve the people. But nothing has been done. The people have to decide on how much work you can do. I have a vision of what I am going to  do and I can assure I can use this money to serve many"

Q:The pro-government media has at different stages labelled the UNP and its leader as a pro-LTTE proxy. In this backdrop how do you justify your position in the UNP when you are considered a Sinhala-Buddhist hero?
Ranil Wickremesinghe is a strategist and maybe some of the Sinhala Buddhists do not understand his experience and far-sighted knowledge. Mr. Wickremesinghe was narrowly defeated  by about 150,000 votes in the 2005 Presidential election. It is because LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran prevented people from voting.

Besides that the UNP is a party which consists of all nationalities. There are Tamil and Muslim personalities who have come to politics through the UNP. A party like that cannot act in a racist manner. Even though Mr. Wickremesinghe is accused of betraying the country, it is this government that has betrayed the country. This government tells one thing to the people and acts differently. The leaders of this government make speeches to the gallery but they have betrayed the people.
UNP MP and former Deputy Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella has openly challenged G. L. Peiris and Mahinda Samarasinghe for a debate over  many letters sent by this government to some of the foreign organisations. But the government has not responded to this challenge. This government has betrayed the people of this country. Mr. Kiriella could prove this.



Q:So you are convinced that the UNP is with the Sinhala-Buddhist majority just as with the minorities in this country?
The UNP is an open party and it is open to anybody. I am sure that the UNP would never betray the country. A party leader alone cannot betray the country but an all-powerful executive president can do this. The UNP is a party which is ready for devolution of power but it would not devolve power according to the 13th amendment. Mr. Wickremesinghe has nearly 40 years experince and he would have understood how to win the election while keeping the minority vote base intact.



Q: You strongly protested  the Indo-Lanka Accord and even tried to attack former Indian Premier risking your life. The Provincial Council system has emerged as a result of the 13th Amendment, one of the outcomes of the Indo-Lanka Accord. In this backdrop how do you justify your contesting the Provincial Council elections?
I was against unlawful Indian influence and interference in Sri Lanka.
The most powerful country in South Asia violated the United Nations Declaration and our air space agreement and dropped food in Jaffna. Because of that we had to stop the Vadamarachchi operation. My protest began from there. At the time I attacked the Indian Prime Minister I did not know about the provincial council system. I knew the government was going to betray the country. India did great damage to our territorial integrity.  Anyway now the PC system is there and whether we like it or not,  we have to go along with the PC system.



Q: Why do you want to re-enter politics?
I see that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is weakening the Opposition of this country. He hooked some of the good politicians emerging from the Opposition using various tactics and offering perks and positions. We know the politicians who joined the government from the UNP were paid handsomely. In my case I have principles. I will never betray my party. And there is a public demand for me to join politics. Besides, if I join the Provincial Council I will be able to criticise the existing system from within.
There were 43 Councillors in the Colombo district and each of them received Rs. 5 million a year to serve the people. But little or nothing has been done. The people have to take decisions on such factors. I have a vision as to what I am going to  do and I can assure the people I can use this money to serve them.



Q: You must have made your decision to join politics using your own observation on Sri Lankan politics and also the knowledge you have gained as an astrologer. How do you see the political future of Sri Lanka?
None of my predictions so far has proven wrong so far. I first predicted that Sri Lanka would be defeated at the World Cup held in India but the state media did not give much publicity to that.  On a private television channel last November I predicted that a political landslide would begin against this government. Subsequently the budgets in 28 local councils run by the government were defeated. Out of them 11 were defeated at the second budget voting and the UPFA had to replace the chairmen. Later I predicted that BJP leader Narendra Modi will win the Indian election. His star is very powerful and he won five states. According to astrology, the BJP will win the upcoming election and subsequently Indian interference in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs will end. This is because there is no one to defeat Modi and he will be able to form a majority government.

Then coming to Sri Lanka, the next President of this country would be someone who has so far not got  involved in party politics. He could be a person who is well respected and revered by all nationalities. He even can win the respect of the minorities. He is somewhere there right now. According to astrology I predict that he can defeat the ruling alliance and he will be able to change this system including the executive presidency.



Q: What are your other predictions?
If the post of Prime Minister is given to a certain person the downfall of this government will take place sooner than later. There will be many cross-overs from the Government to  the Opposition.

Besides, if you have observed Sri Lankan politics you will see that we are heading towards a dictatorship. To live without fear and to have a healthy Sri Lanka we have to change this government.



Q: How do your stars play in this election?
My stars are in a very strong position. There are two Pancha Maha Raja Yogas in my horoscope. There are Rucha and Sasa Panchamaha Raja Yoga and there are Luxmi Yogaya and Kuleera Yoga in my horoscope.

Through my entry to politics I will be able to bring about a change to the UNP vote base. The Moon is on the ninth position and on Cancer.



Q: How do you predict your progress in the election?
I am certain that I will be able to win and get a huge number of votes. I can win a large number of Sinhala-Buddhist votes for the UNP.  

"My protest began from there. At the time I attacked the Indian Prime Minister I did not know about the provincial council system. And there were no moves about the provincial council system. I knew the government was going to betray the country. India did a great damage to our territorial integrity.  So whether we like or not, now we have to get along with the PC system"

Q: Do you think that what is said in the horoscope can be changed by human interference?
Yes, there are ways to do that. That can be done through getting involved in religious and meritorious activities. Just as the Buddha realised truth there are various sages who had studied the stars and developed  this science of astrology.


Q: If anybody challenges your predictions are you ready for a debate?
I challenge anybody to come for a debate on any television channel. I am ready to prove that my predictions are correct.



Q:According to astrology can you make any predictions on Sri Lanka as a country?
There is a misconception that the star of Sri Lanka is  Aquarius. This has been assumed taking the star that was there on February 4, 1948, the time we gained independence. A panel of world- renowned astrologers has studied on different regions of the world and found that the star of Sri Lanka is Capricorn. I don’t believe that there is a star for  a  county. We can’t find a time a country was born. It is a wrong way of calculation. However we can predict the birth of a government.



Q: How do you see the political future of the UNP?
According to astrology the period from June 19, 2014 to July 22, 2015 is a good period for the UNP.   Whenever Jupiter exalts in Cancer a right wing party is likely to come to power. I have studied the political history since 1948 and this had happened over and over again. The stars were on similar position when Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government was changed in 2002. It was on this basis I make my prediction.

I have come to know that some astrologers have advised this government to have a Presidential election before June 19 but according to law it is illegal.   
The downfall of this government could happen due to many reasons including the appointment of a Prime Minister, election reasons or natural causes.   If I make any prediction on the UNP leader he is on Maalavi Pancha Maha Raja Yoga and Gajakeshari Yoga. A person in that position is having a great patience and can overcome any obstacle.