A week ahead of the April 8 General elections, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa today tried to reach out to the country’s ethnic minority Tamils by traveling to Jaffna to address an election rally of the ruling combine.<br/><br/>Mr. Rajapaksa promised to treat all the citizens of the island nation and said that his endeavor would be towards a national reconciliation. "You have suffered for 30 years and it is time to enjoy fruits of freedom", he told the gathering.<br/><br/>The President, on his second visit to the town since the military demise of the LTTE and first after his re-election as President, skirted contentious issues like devolution of powers and the subject of a re-look at the High Security Zones.<br/><br/>Though he spoke most of time in Tamil, there was little enthusiasm amongst the crowd mostly consisting of the workers of the various constituents of the United Freedom People’s Alliance.<br/><br/>He acknowledged that the voters of the peninsula had not voted for him at the January 26 President. However, he hastened to add that he was happy at the participation of the people in the democratic process<br/><br/>Before addressing the election meeting at the Alfred Durriappah Stadium, Mr. Rajapaksa accompanied by the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), Mr. Douglas Devananda and several other officials paid a visit to the historic Nallur Temple. According to the priest of the Temple Mr. Rajapaksa is the first head of the state to pray inside as per the traditional Hindu rituals.<br/><br/>He also visited the Buddhist shrine at Nagadeepa Vihara.<br/>