The local politician from Maligawatta, Lal Peiris, a close confidant of Minister Mervyn Silva, who wanted to make an ambitious entry into the Western Provincial Council in the upcoming provincial elections, says he has been cut short by his own party members who feared losing manape or preference votes.
The 47-year- old politician, better known as Kudu Lal, believes that politicians working against him had made use of his nickname to discredit him and eventually deprive him of his nomination not only from the UPFA but also from another political party from which he sought nomination. A final attempt to field an independent group under his leadership also failed as he was 10 minutes behind the scheduled deadline for handing over nominations.
"Politicians who are backing candidates in the Colombo North, Colombo Central and Borella areas feared that I would pose a threat to the preference votes of their candidates and blocked me from contesting,” he told The Sunday Times without naming the politicians. However, party sources said Minister A.H.M.Fowzie and Presidential Advisor Bhartha Lakshman were against his nomination, claiming that it would discredit the party.
Mr. Peiris said he was already embroiled in a legal battle with a newspaper which had used his nickname, which he said had affected his personal and political life.
Mr. Peiris started off his ambitious campaign well ahead of other candidates by carrying out a poster campaign which included pictures of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the three service commanders. This poster campaign led to controversy.
"May be the poster campaign was a disadvantage to some as they believed that I would get more preference votes than them,” he said.
Mr. Peiris said he put up posters following an assurance from the party that he would be given nominations from the UPFA, after he faced the interview for nomination in the Western Province. However, he said, that the use of the pictures of the service commanders in the posters was not aimed at canvassing for preference votes, but to mark Independence Day.
Despite being deprived of nomination, he said, he would continue to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa's election campaign and has decided to canvas for one of the main candidates contesting in the Colombo district.
He said he hopes to contest the next municipal elections and if given the opportunity, would go on to stand for parliamentary elections claiming that he already had a vote base of 20,000 votes through the Lal Peiris fund which was set up to serve the underprivileged.
“As an independent municipal councillor I have been able to serve the people. In one instance the Municipal Council was objecting to opening a pathway in the Manning Market which would have been convenient for those entering the market. I told the vendors to keep the gate ready by Friday evening and we put up the gate over the weekend. It may not have been done according to Municipal Council laws, but it still serves the people and many are making use of it. I have named it the “Lal Peiris Gate”, he said.
He dismissed allegations of being a notorious underworld character, claiming that he has not been found guilty of any criminal offence or any of the complaints and cases against him.
He said he entered politics with Minister Mervyn de Silva when he was with the UNP and thereafter has been following Minister de Silva whom he regards as his "political guru". |
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