Anura has forgotten I am Mahinda Rajapaksa – Ready to vacate at any time, – MR hits back hard at AKD


  • I have seen it all. From political revenge to harassment, if the President feels my state house should be taken away from me, then I am ready to leave. Let him give me a written request
  • As a President who led the country for 10 years at the most brutal times, I was given this house as I was constitutionally entitled to it as a former head of state and for my protection
  • Instead of providing relief to the common man, President Dissanayake was more involved in his PR stunts and going on stage, unleashing words to criticise the former Presidents

Colombo, January 21 (Daily Mirror) – Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said he is ready to vacate his official residence in Colombo at any time and requested the President to send him a written official request rather than going on public stages and attempting to attract publicity for himself.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror just a day after President Dissanayake made a public speech, asking Rajapaksa to vacate his official residence or pay a rent of Rs.4.6 million monthly for it, the former President said that his official residence was given to him following a cabinet decision during Maithripala Sirisena’s tenure, and it was given to him for his protection and as a former head of state which he was constitutionally entitled to.

However, he said that if the President benefitted from his departure from the premises, he was willing to vacate it as he did not keep anything by force. He also reminded Dissanayake that although he is now a Head of State, his behaviour was nothing more than a politician who was in the opposition.

“President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is forgetting I am Mahinda Rajapaksa. While his talks are good for the gallery and to mislead the citizens as he did on his false election promises, I would like to inform the President that I am willing to vacate my official residence if he sends me a written request. I received this residence in Wijerama Mawatha after a cabinet paper was approved under former President Maithripala Sirisena and as a President who led the country for 10 years at the most brutal times,” Rajapaksa said.

Rajapaksa also said that instead of providing relief to the common man, President Dissanayake was more involved in his PR stunts and going on stage, unleashing words to criticise the former Presidents by taking away their security and houses, just to play to the gallery to avoid talking of his own failures.

“I am a politician and leader who always worked for the nation. From ending the war to bringing in development, today the country is benefitting from the development which I brought in during my tenure as the President. My successors criticised my efforts to end the war and the development projects I signed. Some even resorted to halting these projects, which severely hampered investor confidence,” Rajapaksa said.

“I have seen it all, from political revenge to harassment. If President Dissanayake feels my state house should be taken away from me, then I am ready to leave. Nothing has been kept by force. Let him send me an official request,” he said.

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