Presidential candidate of the New Democratic Party Maithripala Sirisena stated that despite the claims by the government that the country has developed, it has in reality gone backwards in many sectors.

Speaking at a rall in Tangalle in Hambantota District, Sirisena said that local industries have been destroyed.

He added that even though Sri Lanka is an agricultural country, vegetables and fruits were both imported from abroad. The government was not taking steps to solve the problems faced by the farmers, he added.

Sirisena accused the government of neglecting the challenge posed by Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) which claimed thousands of lives, adding that the government inaction was prompted by the need to satisfy several multinational companies.