My ability to work hard and deprive myself of food and sleep is unparalleled, UNP Deputy Leader Minuster Sajith Premadasa said in Anuradhapura.

Premadasa's remarks came a day after Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that the UNP must field its Deputy Leader as the party's Presidential candidate.

"A person who works hard can't eat on time. My father used to work from early in the morning to midnight," Premadasa said, explaining his take on hard work.

"The more I deprive myself of sleep, the more I feel like working," Premadasa said.