Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said that violent politics that scared the people should be defeated at the Presidential Election.
The Minister expressed these views while addressing a meeting held at Uduwana in Homagama recently.
He said that the country has a history of violating the fundamentals of democracy through intimidation in Sri Lankan politics. “I ran for Parliamentary elections for the first time in 1989. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna was a banned organisation when the election was announced,” he added.
He said that there were posters all over the country calling for a boycott of Parliament and these posters said, “Let’s kill JR”. “Let’s drive out the Indian monkey army”. Their posters with banner headlines said, “Punishment for those who contest the Parliamentary Elections is death”.
The Minister said that the JVP killed unarmed and innocent people who were going to vote. The common people, who were afraid of terror, voted for the United National Party seeking refuge to protect their homes, business premises, vehicles, plantations, etc.
The Minister said that JVP politicians systematically disguised themselves as pro-nationalists and entered into the political arena. “They appeared in the society as virtuous people,” he said.
“These mobs disguised as virtuous people resorted to violence again on May 09, 2022. They brutally killed a Parliamentarian on the road and the houses of over 72 Parliamentarians were set on fire within 72 hours,” the Minister said.
He said that buses and vans were set on fire and thousands of local political leaders were physically and mentally harassed.
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