The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will not take disciplinary action against MP Dr. Rajitha Senaratne for attending the All-Party Conference (APC) on 26 January at the Presidential Secretariat, when the SJB as a party had not participated in the same.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said yesterday (29) that Dr. Senaratne did not attend the APC as SJB’s representative but noted that there won’t be any disciplinary action against him.

When asked if Dr. Senaratne participated as SJB’s representative at the APC, he noted: “No, not our representative,” and added: “We won’t take any disciplinary action.”

When The Daily Morning asked him why the SJB did not participate at the APC, he said: “We didn’t attend the conference. We had other programmes. There should be a proposal to discuss. The Government had not yet provided a proposal. Therefore, we didn’t attend the conference.”

Earlier, Dr. Senaratne stopped short of denying that he had plans to cross over to the Government when asked by The Daily Morning, in relation to speculation about such a move, particularly during the voting on the Budget 2023. 

When asked by The Daily Morning if he had any plans to join the Government, Dr. Senaratne noted at the time: “I don’t have any personal agendas.” Upon further questioning, he said: “We have to see and examine the programme that is being put forward by the Government.” 

When asked specifically whether he would support the Budget, he added: “We haven’t seen what’s in the Budget.”

There has been intense speculation that Dr. Senaratne would cross over to the Government sooner rather than later. He had told the media that an all-party Government needs to be formed, and appreciated the steps taken by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to stabilise the country. On several instances when questioned about such a crossover by Dr. Senaratne, SJB members have said that they were unaware of such plans by him.