Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that, in his opinion, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran is no racist.

Speaking to a group of Tamil journalists, Rajapaksa said that the Wigneswaran he knows is not a racist.

"He is just doing politics. He cannot show results. This government also cannot show results" Rajapaksa said.

He went on to say that Wigneswaran is using 'racism' or whatever he can to make people forget that he has not done anything for the people. The present government is also using similar excuses to cover-up their failures, he argued.

Rajapaksa also said that the government does not have a genuine need to help Tamil people.

"Tell me one IDP camp they hve closed. They have not. They do not think of the Tamil people. What they think about is just politics" he hit out at the government.