Get updated: AKD tells Sajith

Claiming that opposition politicians including Sajith Premadasa were bragging in political arena that a National People's Power (NPP) government would take over private property, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today they were citing a part of JVP's policy statement issued in 1980 and urged Sajith Premadasa to get updated.

Speaking at a seminar at the Foundation Institute in Colombo, he said the topic that the opposition politicians were quoting from JVP's website was in the policy statement issued some 43 years ago in 1980 and said that NPP's policies have changed now to suit the modern world.

"That policy statement was approved in a JVP convention in 1979 and released in 1980 when socialist camp was very strong. We issued that plan to suit that particular era. In the space of 43 years, the strong socialist camp collapsed. New political camps have emerged based on United States, Europe, China and Russia etc. People's aspirations, technology, market, communication have changed as never before. We live in a world that is contrast to what we had in 1980s. We are a political force which is flexible and able to grasp the changes in the world scenario and changes accordingly," he said.

Dissanayake said the JVP has issued several action plans in 2000, 2015 and 2019 in line with changes in the world.

"We issued an action plan "Expectations" in 2019 focusing all sectors including agriculture and education etc. Sajith is tweeting citing something that happened a long time ago, in 1980. We call him to get updated. Sajith is clueless about political situation in 1980 and today,' he said.

NPP leader said Sajith Premadasa is claiming to be updated with new technology but he is not updating on political changes, and challenged him for an open debate on economic policies without resorting to traditional political mud-slinging. (Ajith Siriwardana)