The United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Permanua (JVP) have joined to veto funds for UPFA controlled local councils that do not fight corruption.
The move came after the UNP and the JVP backed by two UPFA defectors defeated the Maharagama Urban Council budget on Friday on grounds of corruption in the council.
The budget of the 22-member council was defeated with 13 members voting against and seven in favour. Another UPFA member abstained while a UNP member was absent. The council comprises nine members from the UPFA, seven from the UNP, five from the JVP and one from the JHU.
Council Chairman Kanthi Kodikara (UPFA) told the Sunday Times that she had the option of presenting a second budget and it was likely that this too would be defeated. "I hope to seek the Local Government
Commissioner's approval to continue despite the defeat of the budget," she said.
But, JVP Propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath said the defeat of the budget would mean that the Local Government Commissioner would have to take over control of the council. "The defeat of the budget means that the ruling UPFA has lost control," he said.
Mr. Herath said the JVP and the UNP were also looking at councils where they could defeat the budgets on the basis of allegations of corruption. "We believe that we can gain control of the councils that could be defeated in the future," he said.
He said that they had a possibility of tilting the balance in the Eastern Provincial Council as well in view of the developments where the Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan has expressed his displeasure with the government.
UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayaka said they were studying the possibility of defeating the UPFA in other councils and taking control of them.
JVP frontliner K.D. Lal Kantha said that at least seven local councils had been targeted so far.
|
E-mail