By P.K.Balachandran

In a shrewd move to counter his rival, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday appointed Mahinda Amaraweera as the General Secretary of the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

Currently Lanka’s Fisheries Minister, Amaraweera is a popular leader from Rajapaksa’s pocket borough of Hambantota in South Sri Lanka. As such, he could help neutralize Rajapaksa in the latter’s own turf.

Amaraweera was with Rajapaksa earlier, but had switched over to Sirisena after the latter won the January 8 2015 Presidential election and took over the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLF)) and the UPFA, of which the SLFP is part.

When the post of General Secretary of the UPFA fell vacant following the demise of incumbent Prof.Viswa Warnapala last week, Rajapaksa loyalists in the alliance demanded that one of their supporters be appointed to the pivotal post.

But as part of the on-going series of moves to clip the wings of the Rajapaksa faction, Sirisena appointed Amaraweera.

Earlier, as a reward for defecting from the Rajapaksa faction, Amarweera was given a seat in parliament in the nominated “National” List and made a cabinet minister.

A businessman from a politically connected family in Tangalle in Hambantota district, Amaraweera had cultivated a following for himself in the district by doing social work.

A liberal in his thinking, he had spoken in parliament appealing to the various communities in Sri Lanka to work for national reconciliation, which he described as the need of the hour.

As Fisheries minister, Amaraweera is keen on solving the Indo-Lanka Fisheries question. He told S.P.Anthonymuthu, Advisor to the Indo-Lanka Fishermen’s Welfare Forum, that he wants to meet the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj by March end, and not May 4, as fixed by Swaraj.

“He regretted that Swaraj has not replied to his letter seeking an appointment in March itself,” Anthonymuthu told Express.

Courtesy:New Indian Express