By Gagani Weerakoon

In what appears like rubbing salt on the wound the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress indicated it is running out of patience with the coalition partner United National Party (UNP) of which, leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is facing a threat of losing party reins due to increasing demand within the party for him to step down in addition to being threatened with a No-faith Motion in Parliament challenging his Premiership,.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, Rauff Hakeem, after swearing in Local Government members elected from his Party at the Party’s Headquarters Darussalam on Friday evening (23) has said that he will be compelled to respond in a serious manner if the UNP continue to breach agreements reached before Local Government (LG) polls.

“We have observed that the agreements we reached on certain things during the last three weeks after having lengthy discussions with UNP leaders at Sirikotha are not being implemented. In fact, we see the exact opposite being implemented. SLMC, contested under United National Front (UNF) in some areas and alone in our strongholds following an agreement reached with the UNP. However, if the UNP keeps on taking over powers in LG bodies by forming alliances with other parties betraying us we will find it difficult to continue this political marriage,” he added.

The SLMC leader also said that he asked the UNP leadership to appoint another Secretary at Sirikotha who could work cordially with other parties in the UNF coalition in addition to the UNP General Secretary.

“If this too gets ignored we will have to take tough action, we have already had discussions with the TNA and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). We have also been approached by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). A final decision on forming alliances with which parties and in what LG bodies will be taken after Sunday midnight,” he added.

Hakeem’s indirect warning comes in the wake of when he happened to have engaged in a heated argument with Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera over increasing salaries of the employees of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.

The Finance Minister has ruled out his Cabinet Paper citing it being irrelevant, unnecessary and ill-timed.

When Minister Hakeem argued that this has been the traditional practice for years at the Board, Minister Samaraweera had retorted that the former is trying to woo some more votes for his party by giving more employment when the Board is already suffering from having an excess of employees

Courtesy:Ceylon Today