By Yohan Perera
Colombo , Sep.20 (Daily Mirror) – Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe today called for the organisation of 1,000 joint opposition rallies, satyagrahas and protests, claiming that the incumbent government is attempting to establish a constitutional dictatorship in Sri Lanka.
“We have heard calls from various opposition politicians for a united struggle. Today’s convention marks the beginning of that collective effort,” Wickremesinghe said.
“Let us organise 1,000 joint rallies. Let us also hold satyagrahas. I know some of you are experienced in leading Paada Yatras. So let us unite and stand together against this constitutional dictatorship,” he added.
Addressing the crowd at the United National Party (UNP) convention ,Wickremesinghe also spoke about his recent arrest, which he attributed to his official overseas travel.
“I was arrested last month simply for undertaking an official tour to several countries,” he said. “I attended the G77 Summit in Havana, then went to the U.S. for the UN sessions, where I also met with the heads of the World Bank and IMF. My stop in the UK was only a transit. I did not use public funds for this trip. On the advice of my lawyers, I won’t speak further on the arrest at this time,” he said.
