Declare TNA manifesto illegal

By Rashni Mendis-Thursday, 12 Sep 2013

The Buddhist clergy representing the Ravana Balaya, have requested the Commissioner of Elections, Mahinda Deshapriya, to declare as illegal the TNA manifesto, which they say violates the Constitution of Sri Lanka and threatens the sovereignty of the country. They have also requested the Elections Commissioner to take measures to conduct the Northern Province elections, lawfully.

General Secretary of the Ravana Balaya, Ven. Iththekande Saddhatissa Thera, told the media, a delegation of the organization under his leadership met the Elections Commissioner yesterday (11), and following a discussion they had with him, they submitted a letter expressing their concerns and requesting that the elections in the North be held lawfully.

The Ven. Thera said he questioned the Commissioner over the TNA's manifesto, which in their view, disregards the Constitution by announcing an anti-national policy, which is therefore in conflict with the legal right to contest elections.

"It is very clear that Wigneswaran and his group is trying through the Northern elections, to install a separate administration, and the TNA is once again trying to resurrect LTTE terrorism that wrought destruction in the country," the Ven. Thera noted.

Continuing, he said: "According to the TNA manifesto, lands, police, health, education, assets and fiscal powers are to be vested in a North and East amalgamated federal system. This is very evident in the policies outlined in the manifesto. Arrangements are being made to obtain local and foreign loans, which are a violation of the Constitution," Ven. Saddhatissa Thera, asserted.

Moreover, the administrative authority is ready to use the face of Prabhakaran, and not even a tiger, in place of the lion in the national flag. Some of the government ministers are behaving like cats that have defecated on the rock. Wigneswaran cannot even dream of coming back to Colombo after contesting the Northern elections, the Ravana Balaya, warned.