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Second conspiracy against Ranil surfaces; another 6 to cross over
Friday, 18 May 2007 - 12:38 AM SL Time |  | |
(LeN-2007 May 16, 7.00 pm) Another conspiracy is once surfacing against the leader of the opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe.
A specialty of the conspiracy this time is the fact that three of the MP`s whom Wickremesinghe said were close to him and were granted with high ranking positions in the party, been engaged in the conspiracy.
One of the main figures behind the conspiracy told LeN, the reason for the conspiracy is the dictatorship that is in the party leadership. Our source also said that UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake, who fought hard for the party and for the sake of the opposition leader when the Karu group left the party, is also on a disappointed note these days. He also told us that Attanayake had told a UNP MP who crossed over to the government recently that they should have stayed in the party because now Wickremesinghe doesn`t care for those in the party now. Recently when Attanayake presented a document to the opposition leader regarding some matter, he had put it a side even without reading it.
Meanwhile a conflict has arisen between MP Vajira Abeywardena and Former chairman Malik Samarawickrema and sources say that Vajira is refusing to give up the fight until Malik is removed from the party. Wickremesinghe has also intervened to solve the issue but Vajira had openly rejected Wickremesinghe and showed his dissatisfaction regarding the recent developments by not participating at the first protest rally, against the government, organized by the party in Gampola recently. Reports say that Abeywardena was taken to China along with the opposition leader to comfort the disheartened MP.
Another group of UNP MPs are reported to be bargaining with a Minister who joined the government ranks from the opposition recently, and one of them are Kurunegala district parliamentarian Jayawickrema Perera. Apparently the UNP MPs are talking about a coalition government and requested the consent of the president to do so. When the minister bargaining the deal approached the president with the matter the head of state had given the nod. Then one of the Kandy UNP MP`s had said that the president should invite the opposition leader to do so.
Three main figures of the party have given there consent for a coalition government and two of them have recently gone and met with some politicians who were involved with the previous conspiracy to discuss further.
A separate group is reported to be proposing a UNP Colombo district MP to be appointed as the deputy leader of the party. When the disputes within the party are intensifying it is also being reported that six other MPs are discussing with some government officials to cross over to the government. Our source said some of them are those one would not even believe will cross over to the government. When one of the leaders had spoken to a MP who joined the government ranks recently to come back to the opposition he had said, `Don`t bother to get us back. Already another group from your side is discussing with us to join the government.`
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Source(s)
Rapa/LeN |
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