A powerful junior Opposition Parliamentarian is maintaining a special unit, which is being called “a fake news factory”, to produce fake news and information targeting the upcoming presidential election, Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera charged at a media briefing yesterday.
Addressing media at the main election office of the New Democratic Front situated at Vauxhall Street, Colombo, the Finance Minister said that during the past few days, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was seen misleading the public through print and electronic media advertisements and statements by former Finance Minister and President and, present Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa saying that the public are burdened with heavy living costs.
What Mahinda Rajapaksa reading is what he has been given in writing by somebody else. He is a person who does not know the reality. He does not even know from where does the sun rises and sets”, he added.
The minister revealed to the media the name of the person who is in charge of the aforesaid unit and also said that another advertising firm owned by the Chairman of a well-known private television channel is also carrying out the mud-slinging campaign against the New Democratic Front Candidate Sajith Premadasa.
“The entire election campaign of the Rajapaksas depends on lies and myths.
Therefore, the public should not be misled by those fake news and advertisements created by them,” the minister said.
He condemned such mud-slinging campaigns and said that the Sajith Premadasa campaign was ready to face any challenges successfully.
“Sajith Premadasa without any doubt becomes the President of this country on November 16. So, we invite those who are still undecided to vote for Sajith and become the partners of the victory”, Samaraweera said.
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