President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that some influential nations in the world want a "puppet" to ascend to presidency in Sri Lanka. 

 

He also added that the elements with vested interests are trying to achieve that at the forthcoming presidential election by preventing him from being reelected. 

 

Addressing a gathering at Temple Trees, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that certain elements of the international community want to turn Sri Lanka into a "slave-nation"  where the people and the leaders would bow down to external powers.

 

Meanwhile. addressing a meeting at Bandaranaike National school in Panduwasbuwara, some elements were trying to pull the country back with the assistance of Diaspora. 

 

"War heroes of Sri Lanka rescued the country from the scourge of terorism and we will never allow anyone to divide the Sri Lankan nation into two. We are of the belief that no one has a right to do so," President Rajapaksa said addressing the meeting. 

 

The President also added that students, especially schoolchildren,  should be not used for political agendas in the social media space. 

 

 "I saw a question being raised in Parliament on this matter. It is the duty of all political parties to distance schoolchildren from political projects. Parents should also take this matter into serious consideration. There was a time in the country's history when schoolchildren were used as pawns of certain political movements and we all witnessed the destruction it caused," President Rajapaksa asserted.