The National People’s Power (NPP) presidential candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, promised to punish individuals who disseminated misleading information because they were worried about the NPP winning.
Speaking at a Mirigama publi rally, Dissanayake declared he would take legal action against anybody who spread false information.
Dissanayake criticised his political rivals, charging that their main line of defence was conspiracy theories. Dissanayake said, “Their politics have degenerated to the point where they can only respond with bogus conspiracy theories.” He drew a comparison between his opponents’ divisive rhetoric and the emphasis on national unity in his campaign.
“Anura Kumara threatens to sue opponents who spread “conspiracy theories.””
Dissanayake drew comparisons, pointing out that although Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe support regional leaders Athaullah (A. L. M. Athaullah, MP) and Hakeem (Rauff Hakeem, MP), respectively, his own campaign is based on a unifying message that has long been a tenet of his party. He chastised Premadasa for his reliance on antiquated racial themes, implying that such strategies had no place in modern politics.
Dissanayake vowed to make his detractors legally responsible in reaction to accusations made by individuals such as SJB’s Tissa Attanayake, who alleged that a government headed by the National People’s Power would interfere with customary cultural festivals like the Perehara. “In a Perehara (procession) to the court, we will bring all those who have spread such falsehoods about our intentions,” he said.
