By Suresh Perera
Veteran UNP politician Sarathchandra Rajakaruna expressed confidence of guiding his party to victory at Attanagalla in the Gampaha district at the December 5 parliamentary poll.

‘The theory that Attanagalla is a ‘SLFP fortress’ is misplaced. What happened was, the right person who could take up the challenge had not been fielded in the past’, Rajakaruna said in an interview with the ‘Sunday Island’.

A senior party stalwart and former Cabinet Minister, Rajakaruna was shifted from his traditional Dompe base to Attanagalla by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, to contest Anura Bandaranaike.

‘Meegalla in Attanagalla was my father’s place of birth and this electorate where I have my relatives, is not new to me. I am happy to take up the challenge and prove my mettle’, he said.

Widely respected as an honest politician and a tower of strength to his electors, Rajakaruna defeated SLFP’s then strongman, Felix Dias Bandaranaike by a majority of 2,397 votes.

‘I served the people of Dompe for 24 long years and I am deeply indebted to them. It’s a debt that I cannot repay as these humble villagers stood by me at all times and helped me to ascend the political ladder’.

Elected as MP for Dompe on his 37th birthday, he was appointed as the organiser for the area by the late J. R. Jayewardene.

Rajakaruna said that the people of Attanagalla are familiar with voting for the UNP as the late S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was elected to the House of Representatives from Attanagalla in 1947 on the UNP ticket and served as Health and Local Administration Minister.

‘When Anura Bandaranaike was in the UNP, he described me as a ‘warrior’, but now that he has crossed sides, he is publicly critical of me’.

Rajakaruna said during the UNP regime over Rs. 80 million was spent on village electrification schemes in the area which has not seen much development despite the emergence of two prime ministers and a minister.

Asked whether he was positive of victory at Attanagalla, he replied, ‘the people are with us’.