SM Marikkar dares Gotabaya Rajapaksa to a debate with Sajith Premadasa

COLOMBO(News 1st) - Founding Secretary of the Lanka Worker's Congress M. S. Sellasamy pledged his support to Presidential Candidate of the New Democratic Front Sajith Premadasa. M.S Sellasamy arrived at the operations office of the NDF Presidential Candidate at Vauxhall Street in Colombo and pledged his support. Former Secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayake noted that Sellasamy was the founding secretary of the Ceylon Workers Congress and was at the forefront when the party was created. He added that when Saumyamurthi Thondaman was providing leadership, the true force behind this movement was M.S Sellasamy and it is acknowledged by the people of the estates. He is joining the NDF to ask the estate sector to extend their support to Sajith Premadasa. UNP Parliamentarians S.M Marikkar and Mayantha Dissanayake were also present at this media briefing. Question: You said you will lodge a complaint with the Election Commission regarding the news broadcasts of television networks? UNP MP, S.M Marikkar: "It is being said that the TNA has laid out various requests. We must first state that they have not made any conditions. Those are matters that are being shared on social media, those are distorted. They are spreading rumours and trying to canvass something which does not exist. They are trying to create a situation where the North doesn't vote. We are not ready to betray the country at any instance for Sajith Premadasa to get power. If Gotabaya Rajapaksa has a plan we ask him to come for a debate. It can be a channel that he names, at a date and time he decides. Sajith Premadasa will be there. He can bring a teleprompter if he wants to. We will give him a 'call a friend' option as well. We will give an option for him to ask his brother as well. We will give him three chances if one is not enough. There is no issue." In response to the invitation for an open debate, National Organizer of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Basil Rajapaksa expressed that they are equipped for a sophisticated debate at any time.