Addressing a public rally in Hambantota, he said he would always safeguard the Bandaranaike policies.

Responding to a call by prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former president said the PM was leveling various criticisms against him.

Risk of division disappeared

Meanwhile, minister S.B. Dissanayake says the risk of a division of the SLFP has now disappeared, following Rajapaksa’s promise that no one would be able to remove him from the party.

Dissanayake told a function at Laxapana primary school today (22) that other parties contested the polls with the SLFP wanted to form new parties.

He went onto say that reforms in the SLFP were now underway.