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UNP to file suit against crossover MPs
View(s):By Chandani Kirinde
The UNP said yesterday it would take legal action against 16 of its crossover MPs who voted for the motion to remove the Chief Justice from office on Friday even though they were asked to vote against it.
UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told the Sunday Times letters had been sent to all MPs who crossed over to the government side after being elected on the UNP ticket, asking them to vote against the impeachment motion.
“The UNP decided to vote against the motion as it is unconstitutional. Those who were elected from the UNP but are now in Government were told do the same as this whole process was undertaken in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling,” he said.
However all UNP crossover MPs voted for the motion against the Chief Justice. Deputy Minister A.R.M Abdul Cader, a crossover MP, said the UNP had no right to tell MPs how to vote and this was a violation of their privileges as an MP. “I challenge the UNP to take action against me because I went against the party directive,” he said.
The Deputy Minister showed his displeasure by tearing up the letter and throwing it away during the impeachment vote on Friday.
Mr. Attanayake said the UNP Working Committee would decide what course of action to take against these MPs.
Among those elected from the UNP ticket in 2010 general election are several Sri Lanka Muslim Congress MPs.
Several attempts to have them expelled from the party as well as Parliament have been blocked due to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling that the move by the UNP to expel Rohitha Bogollagama after he crossed over to the UPFA was illegal and invalid.
The Supreme Court ruling came after Mr. Bogollagama petitioned the Supreme Court challenging his expulsion from the party.
The 16 MPs are: A.R.M. Abdul Cader, Rauff Hakeem, Lakshman Senewiratne, Earl Gunasekera, Manusha Nanayakkara, Nimal Wijesinghe, Upkesha Swarnamali, Mohan Lal Grero, Hassan Ali, H.M.M. Harees, Palany Thigambaram, Prabha Ganeshan, Mohamed Aslam, M.J. Thowfeek, Abdul Haleem and M.B. Farook.
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