Only ideological differences with leadership - Karu

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: Former UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya yesterday stressed that except for ideological differences, the UNP group pulling out from the party has no personal dispute with the party leadership.

"The stand of our group is that the reform process within the party should be expedited. We have no intention whatsoever to create any division within the party or to leave it," he told a media briefing at Nippon Hotel yesterday.

Jayasuriya said there are two factions within the party who are in favour and against the reforms. "We belong to the group which expects substantial reforms within the party."

"At this moment too, we are discussing with the party leadership on these ideological differences. Therefore, this is not a crisis.

We have no personal disputes. This is just only an ideological difference created based on the party reforms," he said.

According to Jayasuriya they are a respected group of UNP members who firmly intend to form a UNP Government in the future. "We are not a rebellion group or dissident group."

"After the UNP's defeat at the Presidential Election last November, we pledged to our party members that the party will be subjected to substantial reforms. This pledge should become reality before year end."

Through these reforms, the party should be made more democratic by strengthening the decision making process. This will help attract more people towards the UNP which always clamoured for democracy and good governance, he said.

Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake formed the UNP as a strong political party which can unite all communities under one banner. The UNP vote base in several agricultural areas such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kurunegala areas has declined. Steps should be taken to strengthen the party's vote base in these areas by taking forward the party with a new dimension, he said.

UNP Parliamentarian Gamini Lokuge said the UNP has been continuously defeated in 14 elections. "We cannot allow the UNP to remain as a defeated party. Reasons for these defeats should be found.

We have no intention to remove the party leadership. Our sole intention is to make reforms within the party and make the party victorious by forming a UNP Government," he said.

UNP Parliamentarian Dharmadasa Banda said the pull out group of the UNP is a very strong group. Our group is fully dedicated to safeguard democracy within the party. Our struggle is to rebuild the party and expedite the reform process through a party convention as soon as possible.

Former minister S.B. Dissanayake said they will never leave the party or provide any room to divide the party. Several UNP Parliamentarians joined the Government and some left politics due to reform delays, he added.