Addressing a hurriedly arranged news briefing at his residence in Colombo last evening, Former President and MP Mr. Rajapaksa said ,Joint Opposition (JO) Leader MP Dinesh Gunawardane had phoned both the President and Prime Minister and assured the support of the Joint Opposition to restore normalcy in the country.
“We have no problem about offering our fullest support to the government, if it requires our assistance. In fact, Minister Lakshman Kiriella asked me to speak to the people at this crucial juncture. We request everyone to act wisely, stay calm and be patience in order to maintain law and order in the country,” he said.
He blamed inaction of the government, which had aggravated the tense situation and said the government had got it all wrong.
“Whenever something went wrong during my tenure, including the violence at Rathupaswala or Aluthgama, the blame was put on me. Today, the government is placing the blame on the police. This only agitates the people as then they have no one to turn to,” he said.
When asked about blocking social media to prevent false news from spreading, Mr. Rajapaksa responded stating that, it was an unwise move.
“Many people, especially those from the business community, have complained to us about how this has affected their businesses,” he concluded.
