A 'press release' bearing a printed signature of Mahinda Rajapaksa, released on line a few hours ago, claimed that he will not attend tomorrow's rally organized by the Joint Opposition.

The release said that Rajapaksa will abide by the SLFP Central Committee ruling and will not attend the rally.

Interestingly, it came after repeated assurance from the Joint Opposition that Rajapaksa will attend. UPFA MP Ranjith Zoysa told Asian Mirror earlier in the day that all but two Joint Opposition MPs will attend the rally.

The press release was not released from any of the official channels of Rajapaksa, namely his website, Facebook Page or Twitter handle.

The 'press release' is given below: