Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Leader and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) has been left out of the Uma Oya project, which was initially launched during the former MR Government. The project was initiated by him in 2008.

The Uma Oya project, which was earlier scheduled to be launched in 2015, was finally launched on Wednesday (24) with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as the Chief Guest and under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, and other Government ministers.

However, the official invitation sent out by the Irrigation Ministry had not included MR’s name in it, while his image had also not been included in the propaganda material. 

The only name and image of a Rajapaksa to be included in the project inauguration propaganda was that of State Minister of Irrigation and Water Supply Shasheendra Rajapaksa.

The invitation had been sent out under the names of Irrigation Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, State Minister of Mahaweli Development Lohan Ratwatte, and Shasheendra Rajapaksa. The invitation had further stated that the project would be launched by Presidents Raisi and Wickremesinghe with the participation of Prime Minister Gunawardena and other Government ministers.

The invite had been signed by the Secretary to the Irrigation Ministry.

However, on the day of the inauguration, many SLPP and MR supporters had posted on social media that the project had been launched by former President MR and had thanked him for initiating the project at the time.