• Cites Prez’s lack of authority to summon SLPPers

Ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Leader and Government Parliamentarian Mahinda Rajapaksa and a number of SLPP District Leaders have boycotted a discussion called by the SLPP backed President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday (12) on the grounds that the latter does not have the power to call SLPP members for such meetings, The Daily Morning learned.

The President had called the Cabinet of Ministers, Rajapaksa, SLPP General Secretary and Government MP and Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam, and other SLPP District Leaders for a discussion at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday. However, the meeting had been attended by only the Cabinet, and Government MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (13), Kariyawasam said that they had been invited for a discussion by the President, but that the SLPP, as a party, had taken a decision not to participate in it as the President does not have powers to call SLPP members for meetings. "Earlier, we told Wickremesinghe not to call SLPP members for meetings. That is because he does not have powers to call our Party members. If he needs to have a discussion with SLPP members, he should inform us (SLPP), and then we can get our members to meet him. He did not listen to us, and again called SLPP members. So, we, as the SLPP, decided not to attend the meeting." Commenting further, he said: "He had called Rajapaksa as the SLPP Leader, me as the SLPP General Secretary, and other District Leaders including Hambantota District Leader and Government MP Chamal Rajapaksa and Kurunegala District Leader and Government MP Johnston Fernando. The invitation had been made by way of telephone calls. However, only the Cabinet had attended it. Out of the SLPP District Leaders, it was only Aluthgamage who had participated in it."

Earlier, on 29 May, the President had called Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the Cabinet, a selected number of State Ministers, former Cabinet and State Ministers who are SLPP's District Leaders, and representatives of the United National Party for a discussion at the Presidential Secretariat. SLPP members including Kariyawasam had attended that meeting, and the political programmes of the two parties had been discussed during it.