Basil withdraws following dispute with Gota!

Former minister Basil Rajapaksa has withdrawn from the UPFA’s election campaign, for which he had made considerable contributions initially.

This is due to a dispute he has had with former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa over the drafting of the election manifesto. A group of Basil’s followers including Jagath Wellawatte, Dhamma Dissanayake, Nimal Bandara drafted one manifesto, while Dayan Jayatilake, Nalaka Godahewa, Charitha Herath drew up another on the instructions of Gotabhaya. In addition, advisers of president Maithripala Sirisena prepared a manifesto for the SLFP. As all arrangements were in place to launch Basil’s draft as the official one, ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa had reprimanded Basil and ordered that the copies be burnt. At the ceremony at Henry Pedris grounds in Colombo, the manifesto launched was a combination of the drafts submitted by the other two groups. In that, the 12-point first part was from Gotabhaya’s men, while the second part on good governance was by advisers to president Sirisena.