Small fry of the National People’s Power (NPP) should desist from violence, Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said on Monday.
Speaking at a meeting in Homagama, he said that violence reigned in the country when he first contested the election in 1989 and the JVP was intimidating the people not to exercise their franchise.
“Their main slogan was ‘Boycott the election and candidates who are contesting the election will be killed’. I also got a letter threatening my life during this period. The letter said that those who are going to vote will be killed,” he said.
The Minister recollected how the JVP threatened the people not to exercise their right to vote. “The JVP had said that those who would go to the polling centre will be killed.”
He said that more than 13 persons around the country who had gone to polling stations to exercise their franchise were brutally killed by the JVP.
The Minister said that the coffins of those who were killed by the JVP were also ordered to be carried below the knee.
“This was the situation that prevailed in the Homagama area too. The Homagama court complex was set on fire,” the Minister said.
“Former Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said in Parliament that the Homagama court complex was set on fire, the cloak worn by the judge was put on a buffalo and this buffalo was taken to the Homagama town too.”
The Minister said that Dharmasena who contested the provincial council election from the Homagama electorate was killed. “The Il Maha Viruvo came to his house and killed his daughter who was schooling at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo,” he said. The Minister recollected how the JVP men carrying weapons killed Dharmasena’s wife and his father who was bedridden following a stroke.
“The history of the JVP is gruesome. Two years ago, Ranjith Keerthi Athukorala who was representing the Legislature was killed in the heart of Nittambuwa town,” the Minister said.
He said that the houses of more than 72 Parliamentarians, including his, were destroyed. “My office in Makumbura was destroyed and Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama was attacked,” he said.
“The people in Homagama gave massive support to the SLPP at the last Presidential Election and the SLPP polled more than 106,000 in Homagama.” The Minister requested the people not to allow the politics based on hatred and violence enter the Kelani Valley.
Former Homagama PS chairmen Sampath Jayasinghe of the SLPP and Ranga Abeysinghe of the UNP and Ruwan Prabodha Peiris of the National Freedom Front were also present.
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