Akila refutes claims of barring UNP supporters from meeting Sajith at Sirikotha

The United National Party (UNP) has rejected claims that supporters were not allowed to meet presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa at its Head Office in Sirikotha today (Nov 21).

“No such incident had taken place,” UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said in a statement.

His remarks came after UNP parliamentarian Harsha de Silva, on Twitter, said supporters should have been allowed to meet Premadasa at Sirikotha, instead of his campaign office in Vauxhall Street.

Emotional scenes at Vauxhall Street as thousands arrive to express their solidarity with @sajithpremadasa. @officialunp GS Akila Viraj should have just let Sajith thank the 5.5m citizens of #SriLanka who voted for him from Sirikotha. pic.twitter.com/4ZvUlxSrqH

— Harsha de Silva (@HarshadeSilvaMP) November 21, 2019

Hundreds queued up outside UNP Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa’s campaign office today, to express solidarity with the Presidential candidate following his failed presidential bid last week.

The UNP General Secretary said the party’s ministerial group yesterday had agreed to postpone the occasion which was to be held today at the party headquarters in Sirikotha.

“Accordingly, steps were taken to inform everyone about this decision,” Kariyawasam noted.

However, he said that Premadasa had informed him that he would meet his supporters at his campaign office today as some of them had not been informed of the decision.