Several parties to meet PM over privatising shares of power plant

Ten parties and one organisation are to meet Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today (23) to express concerns over selling 40 per cent of shares of Kerawalapitiya Yugadhanavi Power Plant to a US-based company.

The General Secretary of the SLFP Dayasiri Jayasekara told TimesOnline that they would be meeting the Prime Minister to express their concerns over the privatisation of 40 per cent of the power plant.

He said that on Monday, September 20, the 10 parties and the organisation held a meeting at the Communist Party headquarters and decided to meet both the President and the Prime Minister to discuss the matter. But following advice from former President Maithripala Sirisena, whom they met the following day, they decided to first meet the Prime Minister as the President was abroad.

The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) Leader, Tissa Vitharana said that they have planned to hand over a letter about their concerns over the move to sell 40 per cent of the power plant to an American company at today's meeting.

Mr Vitharana said LSSP as a party directly opposes selling of any state property to foreign countries. He elaborated that this move of privatisation of shares of Kerawalapitiya Yugadhanavi power plant violates the manifesto ‘Vistas of prosperity’ as it states that any building, institute would not be sold to any foreign country.

The SLFP, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Communist party, Democratic Left Front and the National Freedom Front are some of the parties that are to meet the Prime Minister today.