By

Kamal Jayamanna

Several opposition political parties have already held discussions with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on forming a “united opposition” before the Local Government election, UPFA Parliamentarian Vasudewa Nanayakkara said.

Nearly 25 Parliamentarians of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) too attended the discussion, Nanayakkaa told the Daily News yesterday.

“All parties of the UPFA coalition, except the SLFP, are on the same page about the matter. We need former President Rajapaksa’s blessings to proceed with this initiative,” Nanayakkara said.

The main objective behind forming a united opposition, Nanayakkara said, would be to form a common force against the UNP.

“The SLFP is not ready to fulfill the duties of the opposition. It has formed a coalition government with the UNP. Therefore, we had to make a drastic move to form an alternate opposition,” Nanayakkara said.

Meanwhile, highly placed sources of the UPFA said the new coalition would not be able to use the name and the official symbol of the UPFA of which the SLFP is the main stakeholder. “The General Secretary is the ‘custodian’ of the party’s name and the symbol. UPFA General Secretary, Prof. Vishwa Warnapala was appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena and his loyalty lies with the President. He will not encourage any move against President Sirisena.

At the same time, the President still functions as the Chairman of the UPFA,” a UPFA Parliamentarian, who wished to remain anonymous said.

Courtesy:Daily News