Dayasiri vows to protect SLPP, but says will not be overruled

General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Dayasiri Jayasekara has declared that as different parties of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) alliance they will continue to support the SLPP but will not allow to be overruled by them.

Mr Jayasekara clarifying about last week’s meeting  among leaders of political parties supporting the SLPP said it was a meeting “to discuss ways to achieve the expectations of the 6.9 million voters who brought us to power.”

“We held a meeting at Wimal Weerawansa’s house, but it was not a meeting held to extend support to any group.  Myself and most senior politicians such as Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Prof Tissa Vitharana were among them”, he said.

“We didn’t gather to create powers against the government, if inexperienced groups are making such claims, it is wrong. However we also have to say that the ones who are in fear of us are the ones who are forming groups to protect their party.”

He said it was a discussion on ways to meet the expectations of people by preserving our alliance adding that it was not a meeting  to create separate camps to show their power.

“We are not the SLPP we are the other parties which create SLPP. Though we contested under SLPP symbol we are different parties which form the alliance. Therefore we are here to work together with SLPP; they cannot overrule us. We consider SLPP as the major party but we too have our own identities in our parties that should be respected.”

“We are ready to work together by having discussions and resolving issues, but we are against authoritarian rule over other parties, we too  need to be given a chance to take decisions for the betterment of the alliance.”

“I heard some political novices comparing 2015 political situation to today’s situation, they lack knowledge about politics so I am not surprised. Former President Sirisena left the SLFP at that point without many supporters and he left the party not an alliance. But we are not from SLPP, we are affiliating parties of the alliance. There is a clear difference in agendas of the party and alliance.”

“We are having no plans to leave the alliance and we are trying to strengthen it. There are 12 to 13 parties constituting the alliance, they have their own identities, the SLPP cannot overrule them but can peacefully work with them, then we too could support them. We are not working against them, we want to work together, but we also don’t want them to overrule us.”