Colombo: Betting on the candidature of
President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a maverick Sri Lankan minister
has offered 16.02 million rupees to anyone who defeats the
incumbent in the forthcoming January 26 polls.
At a meeting here yesterday, Sri Lankan Labour Minister
Mervyn Silva dared anyone to defeat Rajapaksa and offered to
take a 40 million Sri Lankan rupees (16.02 million INR) worth
of bet with him on the outcome of the polls.
Silva said, "I will gamble with my brand new Benz car,
Montero jeep and others from my fleet of vehicles and my
houses including the one in Tissamaharama."
He told a gathering that the Common Opposition Candidate
Sarath Fonseka's fortunes were dwindling after the recent
solar eclipse and Rajapaksa's chances were becoming stronger,
the Island Newspaper reported.
The Minister is known for picking up arguments with the
media on reporting issues.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 17:44