SLPP agrees to all-party Govt. proposal as dissidents meet with President

Tuesday, 3 May 2022 01:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SLPP Gen. Sec. says party agrees in principle to proposal
Basil among those in SLPP delegation at talks
No time frame fixed to implement proposal
PM’s office reiterates he will not step down

The group of SLPP dissident MPs led by former Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila met with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday to discuss the formation of an all-party Government.

SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters after the meeting that they agreed in principle that the all-party Government proposal should be implemented and they would work towards this end, but no time frame for its implementation was discussed.

“We agreed in principle to this proposal and will work with the President on it,” Kariyawasam said.

Among those that attended yesterday’s meeting were MP Nimal Siripala de Silva who represented the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which also supports an all-party Government as a temporary measure to stabilise the economic situation in the country while the SLPP dissidents who have been calling for Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s resignation including MP Anura Priyadarshini Yapa, Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Tiran Alles also attended the meeting.

The SLPP was represented by SLPP Chairman Minister G.L. Peiris, Sagara Kariyawasam, Sanjeeva Edirimanna, Basil Rajapaksa and Ramesh Pathirana.

It was the first time Basil Rajapaksa was face-to-face with Weerawansa and Gammanpila who have blamed him for the current economic crises.

Soon after the meeting, the Prime Minister’s office reiterated that he had no plans to step down even though an all-party Government is under consideration, and said reports he would announce his resignation in Parliament tomorrow are false.