The Gampaha District Bala Mandalaya of the Joint Opposition passed a resolution on Saturday to form a new political party under the leadership of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest the forthcoming local government polls.
The resolution was passed unanimously during a meeting held at Udugampola with convener of the Joint Opposition MP Prasanna Ranatunga presiding.
Four other resolutions were also passed, demanding that the SLFP should leave the national unity government immediately; SLFP members should resign from the ministerial portfolios of the incumbent government, those who had been removed from the SLFP electoral organiser posts should be reinstated and a campaign should be launched to pressure the government to hold the local government elections without further delay.
After the resolutions were passed, convener of the Joint Opposition MP Prasanna Ranatunga said: "The SLFP started facing problems when its former general secretary and incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena defected and contested against the party’s nominee at th last presidential polls. The general secretary decided to campaign against the president of his own party. The incumbent general secretary of the SLFP says that the presidential election was a battle between the SLFP President and its General Secretary. That is not true. Sirisena was removed from the position of party general secretary post when he announced his decision to contest from another symbol against the party’s candidate. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa was appointed the SLFP secretary. Therefore Maithripala Sirisena has no moral right to receive the SLFP leader’s post."
