Friday, June 17 2005 09:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday (Jun 16, 2005) launched a scathing attack on her erstwhile coalition partner JVP while ruling out a snap election despite the Government being turned into a minority.

In a lengthy address to the nation over State television, Kumaratunga said Marxist JVP, or People's Liberation Front, was "lying" and "misleading" people and blocking her efforts to improve the economy and establish peace in the country.

"The JVP has violated the coalition agreement we had. It is difficult to continue a coalition like this. We never violated the pact. JVP did not allow us to carry out our policies. They speak utter falsehoods. They lie."

Kumaratunga said it was the JVP, which had taught the Tamil Tigers how to take up arms and use terror tactics by leading an insurrection in 1971 against the then Government of her mother Sirimao Bandaranaike.

However, since JVP showed signs of entering the political mainstream, she agreed to go into a coalition with them.

Kumaratunga paid a rare tribute to Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and said he had acted in the true interest of the nation and shed petty party politics and supported her plan to enter into an aid sharing deal with the tigers.

She said although the Government was now a minority with the JVP leaving, her Government would not fall. At the same time she invited the JVP to reconsider their decision.

"The Government is unshaken. There is no instability. We will be short of 20 or 30 votes in Parliament. But our policies have already been approved by Parliament."