SLMC likely to back Ranil.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has postponed till 10.00 am today in making a final decision on the no-confidence against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Sources told The Island last night that the SLMC was likely to vote against the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister.

The TNA MPs after meeting President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday afternoon held a special group meeting with TNA leader R Sampanthan presiding at the Parliamentary complex.

Sampanthan said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe should resign so that there would be no need for taking up the motion for debate or vote. Some other TNA MPs, however, had opposed the idea, sources said.

Earlier in the day the TNA held a group meeting from 10.30 am to 11.30 am on the same issue. TNA leader Sampanthan and MP

M. A. Sumanthiran left parliament to meet the President. After the meeting with the President, the TNA delegation returned Parliament around 2.00 pm and held another meeting of its parliamentary group till around 4.45 pm.

That meeting ended without any clear decision as the group was divided on whether they would vote against or for the motion. The meeting ended with agreement to meet again at 10 am today in the same venue to take a final decision, sources said.

 

TNA has 16 MPs.