Opposition leader Mr. Sajith Premadasa questioned the reason why trade union leaders like Joseph Stalin, who protested peacefully and disciplined, were hunted down and put inside, and Mahinda Rajapaksa, the pilot of the current violent repression, was left free.
He said that when Mr. Joseph Stalin, who fought for the working people as well as for the teachers, was arrested, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the father of repression, is enjoying his time.
The leader of the opposition condemned the arbitrarily engaging in political hunting in the name of humanity, who should think about the country and work together, and demanded that this state terrorism be stopped immediately.
The opposition leader said this when he went to Colombo Fort Police today (04) to see the currently arrested trade union leader Mr. Joseph Stalin.
The opposition leader, who recalled the statement made by the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe when he was a Member of Parliament before he became President, questioned whether the same would not be the case today if he had said when he was arrested that he might lose the GSP relief.
The opposition leader said that problems should not be solved with weapons such as bombs, swords and bullets, but it should be done through negotiation and consensus.
The opposition leader said that any citizen has the right to stand for his opinion, to stand, to speak, to meet, to protest peacefully, and said that no one can violate the right to any non-violent struggle. The opposition leader emphasized that Mr. Joseph Stalin used his right democratically for the sake of the country and no one can oppose that right.
