’We need strong mandate to make revolutionary change’: Anura Kumara

Colombo, August 22 (Daily Mirror)- Claiming that a minority government will not help make the expected change, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today he was hoping for a strong mandate to make a revolutionary change.

Speaking at a rally in Piliyandala, he said people were yearning for a change over a long period of time and that the right time for a change will dawn on September 21.

"There has been a wide discussion for a change in the country over the years. There is no point in talking about or dreaming of a change. For the first time in Sri Lanka, the opportunity has come for a change," he said.

Dissanayake said the strength of a government is not decided by the number of MPs in Parliament, but by the trust placed on the government by the people.

"We assure you that we will develop this country. People brought in various leaders like Bandaranaike, JR, Chandrika and Mahinda, hoping that they would make a change. But, they never did. The peoples' aspirations were shattered for 76 years as aspirations of the rulers and the people were never the same. For the first time, the peoples' aspirations have been the same as ours. People want to stop fraud and corruption, we also want to do so. The peoples' aspiration is to stop organised crimes and the drug menace, we also want to do that," he said.