Former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has resigned from the membership of the United National Party (UNP). Sri Lanka’s former World Cup-winning cricket captain has reportedly tendered his resignation to UNP leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. In his resignation letter to the UNP leader, Ranatunga gives reasons for his decision to quit the party and also expressed his gratitude to Mr. Wickremesinghe for the responsibilities entrusted to him under the ‘Yahapalana’ Government.

He also states that the reason as to why he joined the UNP was to serve the nation as he felt was for the common good of all people, whereas after the party members left the UNP, Ranatunga still remained loyal to the UNP but his service served no purpose. Additionally, Ranatunga's statement mentioned that after the 2020 election defeat, he had many hopes for the UNP to learn from the past and improve as a party, but to no avail. It was also mentioned that he felt it was not suitable for him to continue within the UNP and would like to tender his resignation effective today. "I sincerely appreciate the leadership qualities that you promoted for the betterment of the Nation," he informed the Party Leader in conclusion.