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‘Aragalaya’ was diverted by ‘intellectuals’ to send Mahinda home: Johnston 

10 Oct 2022

By Safrah Fazal The “intellectuals” (viyaththu) who claimed that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was preventing former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from doing his duties diverted the “aragalaya” (people’s struggle) towards sending the former home, charged Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP and former Minister Johnston Fernando. “Within the first three months of Gotabaya’s presidency, a public opinion was formed that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was being held back from undertaking his duties by Mahinda Rajapaksa. These were formed by the intellectuals – some intellectuals, not all. Now it’s difficult to find these intellectuals. When the ‘aragalaya’ was formed, these conspirators diverted it to chase away who they called the ‘naki maina’ (old mynah; a reference to Mahinda Rajapaksa).” The MP made these remarks while addressing a SLPP public rally in Kalutara last Saturday (8). Fernando also emphasised that the “intellectuals” or “conspirators” were motivated with the aim to isolate then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in order to tear the Rajapaksa family apart and destroy Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political future.  “What is this conspiracy? Why did they say within the first months that Mahinda Rajapaksa was holding Gotabaya back? They wanted to isolate Gotabaya. They wanted to tear the family apart. They wanted to put a stop to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s political journey. Did Mahinda hold Gotabaya back? No; when he was given the premiership, he accepted it, and when he was asked to leave, he resigned. The conspiracy won when Mahinda resigned.” He further stated that himself, along with some other party members, urged Mahinda Rajapaksa not to resign, and that doing so would lead to the resignation of the President as well. “The day he (Mahinda Rajapaksa) resigned, we urged him to not do so. We told him that if he resigned, Gotabaya would have to go home as well. What we said materialised. So I remind all of you, it is through this conspiracy that Gotabaya was chased away. Even if an ‘aragalaya’ came bulldozing through, if Mahinda was in power, he would never make such a decision.” “When Mahinda came to Kurunegala, he asked me: ‘Johnny, am I not the best Prime Minister?’ That’s because he doesn’t cause rifts. He knows the limits of power; he was President twice. He ended the war that people said he couldn’t. No one can say that he was holding Gotabaya back”.  “All of us contested the election using Mahinda’s photograph. The President was Gotabaya, but we used Mahinda’s photograph in rallies. We were prohibited from using the President’s photograph. We couldn’t even put up a congratulatory cut-out; the Police took it down. Those were his policies. We are not against them.  “He attempted to form a new political culture together with the intellectuals. It was forbidden to put up posters of Gotabaya – the intellectuals advised him to not allow anyone to use his photo. What transpired then? Those who sold Mahinda's name and accumulated votes sent letters asking him (Gotabaya Rajapaksa) to leave.”


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