Political row continues over Weerawansa’s call for change in SLPP leadership

Opinion

A noteworthy feature of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was an exercise in self-confession when their members err on a serious issue.

Even the fiery orator that he is, Wimal Weerawansa, did not escape that rule when he was in that party. When the late JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe held office, he had to write a copious self-confession that he would not do it again.

The offence was breaching the party rule and consuming alcohol. He was ‘rehabilitated’ if one is to use a JVP term. Industries Minister Weerawansa, now leads his own party and is in the news again. In an interview with our sister newspaper, the Irida Lankadeepa, he declared that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should take over the leadership of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). He gave his reasons for saying so. He said that it was unfair by the President to keep him out of the party leadership and stuck at the President’s Office separated from those constituent partners of the ruling coalition and the rank and file.

It was just days earlier that he had canvassed support from his ministerial colleagues in a campaign to not hand over Colombo Port’s Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) to India. It is notwithstanding remarks by the President in his dialogue with the people at Kalutara. He declared that the agreement (Memorandum of Cooperation signed by the previous Government) with India should be honoured.

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