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| Friday, 20 February 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Defections unsettle green camp by Anura Maitipe Prominent members of the United National Front administration, both at grassroots level and at top level are expected to cross over to the Freedom Alliance in an unprecedented manner on the eve of the closing date of nominations sending shockwaves at Sirikotha, PA General Secretary D.M.Jayaratne told the Daily News yesterday. Minister D.M. Jayaratne who had met a large number of UNF supporters who have decided to cross over said: "The government and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will get the real shock of their life when these people appear on a stage where Freedom Alliance speakers are billed to speak." Asked to name a few persons of the UNF side billed to cross over, Minister Jayaratne said: "Wait and see you can identify them soon and many faces are familiar as some of them are MPs of the recently dissolved Parliament". He said that a considerable number of UNF supporters have already crossed over to the Freedom Alliance over the past few days at meetings presided over by Freedom Alliance leaders. Jayaratne added that he had met several UNF MPs billed to cross over during the week along with several chairmen of Pradeshiya Sabha and several Provincial Councillors of the UNP who are disgruntled with the party. "These people claim that the UNP was now run by a white collared group and leaders at grassroots level have no future in the party". They have claimed that they were unable to meet the supporters at grassroots level because the UNF had failed to fulfil promises. "The farmer and fishing community has been completely ignored," they have lamented, Minister Jayaratne said. Meanwhile,former Members of Parliament Ravindra Randeniya and Naveen Dissanayake appear to have been deprived of nominations for the forthcoming election. Sources said the UNP leader has requested Cabinet spokesman G.L. Peiris to contest the election from the Colombo District. Party sources disclosed that Peiris had claimed he was not prepared to contest and had pleaded to include him on the National List again. Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando too is not on the contesting list but had requested entry from the National List. The UNP leader is now faced with a serious problem of having to accommodate two key people on the national list. Party sources disclosed that it was likely that either Peiris or Fernando would be omitted at the end when the National List would be finalised. Similarly former Foreign Minister of the UNP, Harold Herath who was assured a place in the National List last time was dropped like a "hot potato" last time forcing Herath to quit politics and distance himself from UNP leader Wickremesinghe. |
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