Jitters for UPFA as Provincial Councils get shaky

• Govt. suspends another PC as majority hangs in the balance
• Harin mocks Shasheendra for ‘cold weather’ suspension of Uva PC

As the Government was forced to suspend yet another provincial council yesterday, Uva PC Opposition Leader Harin Fernando yesterday walked into a press briefing at Sirikotha decked up in winter clothing. Fernando, who arrived at the UNP headquarters briefing room wearing a jacket, gloves and ear muffs, was mocking Uva Chief Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, who suspended the Council earlier this week until January citing cold weather in the region. The Opposition has insisted the suspension of council sessions was aimed at preventing defections from the UPFA that could topple the balance of power in the Uva PC. “The Uva Chief Minister may have got all his councillors to a press briefing but even from there these members were SMSing us about the dates of their crossovers,” Fernando told reporters. Despite the suspension of sessions, Fernando said he was confident that the Government could be defeated in the Council by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Eastern Provincial Council Ariyawathi Galapaththi suspended sessions until 12 January after the Government was reduced to 10 members in the Council yesterday during the debate on the budget. Both the Rishard Bathiudeen-led ACMC and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress members who are part of the ruling coalition in the Eastern PC failed to show up at the session yesterday. By comparison, the Opposition had 15 members. Opposition members staged a demonstration outside the Council after sessions were suspended, saying the Government was running scared of having its Budget defeated by the no-show. The UPFA was reduced to 19 members last week, after three ACMC councillors decided to sit independent in the Eastern PC. The Opposition in the Council now has 18 members. Meanwhile, members representing leftist parties in the UPFA coalition in the Western Provincial Council yesterday extended their support to Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena, while raising a point of privilege. (DB)