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Ranil in subversive campaign to split Sri Lanka Freedom Party

Sri Lanka News

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is already fighting a losing battle for the Sri Lankan Presidency has launched a seditious campaign to split Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) vote bank. After keeping a non corporative stance on the peace process through out the SLFP rule, Ranil Wickremesinghe has swiftly decided to seek a mandate for holding talks with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to arrive at a joint policy on the issues of the peace process and negotiations with the LTTE. "I have a framework in which to unite all groups with diverse views," Wickremesinghe said while addressing an election related religious gathering Saturday at Anuradhapura, an ancient city 206 kms north of the capital Colombo.

Wickremesinghe said he had reached consensus with Kumaratunga to arrive at a negotiated settlement but Rajapakse's alignment with extremist and nationalist forces in order to win the election had endangered the consensus.

"If claiming credit by one political party for bringing about peace and a solution to the national issue is a problem, then let us all share the credit by working for peace together," Wickremesinghe said at another ceremony at the Bellanwilla Raja Maha Vihara, the state-owned Daily News reported on Thursday.

"In the last elections I was given a mandate to hold talks with the LTTE. In this election, I want a mandate to hold talks with the SLFP on a joint policy," he said.

However, Ranil has a difficult situation to convince the public that he is a better President as he failed miserably to give the people a better condition of living during his tenure of Office as the Prime Minister. Ranil's peace negotiating team made the LTTE stronger, internationally recognized and helped them to carry out propaganda to present themselves as freedom fighters while GL Pieris gave into all demands of the LTTE, Ranil did not make so much of a whimper in protest.

The government got nothing in return to what the LTTE got from the Government. The LTTE was grateful for all the favors it received from the UNF government; G.L.Pieris and Bradman Weerakoone are now his political supporters whom tiger terrorists hold in a very high esteem now.

Meanwhile, the UNP has put into operation a subtle campaign to lull President Chandrika Kumaratunga into a false sense of security, with Ranil Wickremesinghe promising her a role in his regime if elected. This is a calculated move to guide her against Mahinda Rajapakse in the hope of weakening the formidable alliance behind him.

According to Island report, the battle for the control of state media is warming up with Premier Mahinda Rajapakse's camp accusing his detractors of carrying out a relentless campaign to undermine his propaganda campaign.

The premier's camp recently prevented the state-run electronic and print media from reporting that JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe was directly involved in the assassination of actor-turned politician Vijaya Kumaratunga. Amarasinghe's role, according to the report that was to be carried, transpired during inquiries conducted by a special presidential commission.

UNP anticipate a bitter struggle once President Chandrika Kumaratunga returned from overseas even though the majority are taking a pro-Rajapakse stand and falling in line with Rajapakse's campaign,

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