Sixty SLFP MPs with Chandrika – Rajitha says

Wednesday, 16 January 2013 

Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne has told the President that 60 SLFP parliamentarians had secret dealings with former President Chandrika Kumaratunge and that they were conspiring against the President.

The Fisheries Minister had said that he was informed about the matter by a leader of the Mahajana Party who keeps in close contact with the former President. The Minister had had this discussion with the President after last week’s Cabinet meeting and had also given a list of names of 60 MPs to the President.

Senaratne had also asked the President to be careful when dealing with MP Tiran Alles. He had noted that Alles and DNA MP Arjuna Ranatunge have recently met with Kumaratunge.

It is learnt that the list of 60 names given by Senaratne had been given by the President to the Opposition Leader. The President had asked the Opposition Leader to accept them to the UNP at any point since they had a conspiracy to remove him from the post of Opposition Leader.

Senaratne had told a former Deputy Minister Shantha Premaratne that he would not be afraid to politically attack Kumaratunge. However, he had added that he would not be able to do the same in the event Vimukthi Kumaratunge entered politics due to the friendship he had with Vijaya Kumaratunge.

However, it is believed that positions held by the SLFP seniors who have link with the former President are likely to be curtailed during the next Cabinet reshuffle.