Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has claimed credit for the landmark victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels in the civil war as he squares off in next month's presidential polls against his former army chief, who led the nation to triump over the LTTE in May.
Rajapakse and former army general Sarath Fonseka, who have been at loggerheads over who should claim credit for the military victory over Tamil Tiger rebels, are in a straight fight.
Fonseka quit the military in November after accusing the government of sidelining him and falsely claiming he was trying to stage a coup.
Rajapakse, who like his main rival is a Sinhalese nationalist, called a snap poll two years ahead of schedule to take advantage of his popularity following the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.
Rajapaksa said his government supported the military with adequate funding to defeat terrorism and separatism even as successfully overcoming international pressure.
Recalling the sad state of affairs in the country when he assumed office in 2005, Rajapaksa said a part of the country had been handed over to the LTTE by a ceasefire agreement.
"While managing the war effort, the government implemented development schemes in other parts of the country to prevent any uprising in the South," the president was
quoted as saying by the Daily News.
Accusing the opposition parties of resorting to a "mud slinging campaign" against him and his government, he underlined that they had no proper direction or manifesto. They had now resorted to castigate his family and relatives by making baseless allegations against them, he said.
Amid the campaigning for the presidential polls, the international pressure on the governmen linked to alleged violations of human rights has become an issue in the polls.
Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extra- judicial, summary and arbitrary executions, has sought explanation from the Sri Lankan Government on allegations of
killings of senior LTTE cadres and leaders despite their attempt to surrender during the last phase of the civil war.
Sri Lanka is also threatened with the withdrawal of the GSP Plus trade concessions from the European nations on the Human Rights issue.
Rajapakse has called the January 26 poll two years early to take advantage of his popularity following the defeat earlier this year of Tamil Tiger rebels that ended a decades-old ethnic conflict.
Fonseka, who as army chief led the successful final offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), hopes the victory will also work in his favour at the polls.
