A conspiracy is going on to postpone both Local Government Polls and Provincial Council Elections. A `Protest Day' and a Hartal similar to August 12 in 1953 should be declared against this conspiracy, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) Leader Prof. Tissa Vitharana said.
Addressing a press conference held at the LSSP Head Quarters in Colombo yesterday, he said that presenting amendments in connection with LG Polls to Parliament is delaying and efforts are being made to delay the PC polls by stating that women representatives should be given 30 percent of representation which would take a long time. Meanwhile the UNP, JVP, SLMC and some other political parties demand that percentage selected through the ward system should be reduced to 60 percent from the current 70 percent. The delimitation should be done again if this happens, which would take a long time.
According to Prof. Vitharana, both the Prime Minister and his Government should be chased away because both are against the people's wishes and protect the rich through tax policy and torturing the poor through the same. The Government has reduced direct taxes to 15 percent in order to assist and protect the rich, while increased indirect taxes to 85 percent which torture the poor people.
The Government is taking revenge from poor farmers by cutting down the water they use for farming. This happened at Welioya in Mullaitivu. The Government has stopped the Kivul Oya Irrigation scheme in order to supply no water farmers who are suffering due to the long drought, he added.