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SLFP divided as talks with JVP collapse
By Harinda Vidanage
An emergency Central Committee meeting of the SLFP has been called for tomorrow after talks between the SLFP and the JVP to finalise an electoral alliance collapsed on Thursday night.

The talks collapsed after SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena pointed out that the party's central committee had not been consulted about the proposed MoU between the SLFP and JVP.

The Sunday Times learns already rival groups opposing the alliance are preparing to question President Kumaratunga about the accelerated alliance process.
The groups are to question as to on what grounds the SLFP has decided to propose offering the chairmanship to the JVP and want the details of demands of the the JVP disclosed.

In a fresh attempt to ensure the alliance could be worked out, Anura Bandaranaike, Mangala Samaraweera, Wimal Weerawansa and Dinesh Gunawardena were meeting last afternoon to discuss the developments.

The breakdown of Thursday's talks came as a shock for both the parties as they were able to formulate a constitution for the new alliance and agree on the party structure. Both the SLFP and the JVP made commitments to step back from their initial positions.

The SLFP offered the position of the chairmanship to the JVP, while the JVP reduced its demands on the number of ministries. It also reduced its demand for seat allocation to 40 from 44, political sources said.

A propaganda committee co-headed by SLFP's Dilan Perera and Sunil Handunetti of the JVP was also appointed while Mr Sirisena wrote to Minister Alick Aluvihare, seeking permission to hold the ceremony to mark the signing of the MoU at Independence Square on November 18, SLFP sources said.

Central Province Governor Alavi Mowlana has been asked to reserve the Town Hall for November 19, to hold a mass rally in the evening. Even electronic media releases had been prepared to mark the signing of the alliance.However some members of the PA and the JVP denied that dates for the signing of the MoU and details of the joint protest were finalised. JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa told the Sunday Times he had nothing to say about the meeting.

The JVP had agreed to change its position of opposing the devolution of power to addressing the ethnic conflict after the alliance was formed as a compromise to the SLFP's stand on devolution of power. At Thursday's meeting, the JVP was also critical of the PA media policy after the takeover of the Media Ministry by the President.

The Sunday Times learns that MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena who met the President on Thursday before the JVP met her had gone to the Dharmayathanaya of Ven Elle Gunawansa who is spearheading the Desha Hitheshi campaign backed by the JVP and told the monk that the President was going on the wrong track.

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