Crucial UNP Parliamentary Group meeting today

Rasika Somarathna

A crucial UNP Parliamentary group meeting is scheduled to be held today amidst speculation, that a section of its MPs were planning to call for a vote to choose a new leader instead of the incumbent, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Contacted by the Daily News, Party Chairman Rukman Senanayake MP said the group meeting which was originally scheduled for Monday would be held today.

However, when questioned about a possible call for a leadership change during the meeting, Senanayake said that he was not aware of any such move.

Asked whether he would support such a move, Senanayake remained non- committal adding that the question would not arise as there was no such plan according to his knowledge.

However, the Daily News reliably learns that such a move is a foot to oust Wickremesinghe as the UNP group leader in Parliament, which would subsequently lead to him being removed from the post of UNP leader as well.

UNP MP Lakshman Senevirathne, who is in the forefront of a group calling for party reforms, said that he too was not aware of such a move.

He added that he was not prepared to divulge details with regards to the happenings within the UNP parliamentary group.

When questioned as to whether he would support such a move, Senevirathne remained non committal. But according to reliable sources, pressure is mounting on the Opposition Leader to step down, with a section of the MPs planning a call for a vote if he does not agree to the above during today’s meeting.

Some insiders allege that Wickremesinghe’s decision to postpone the meeting, which was scheduled for yesterday was an attempt to buy time, to woo the dissenting voices.

If the UNP rebels stick to their guns, it is expected to trigger a fresh crisis within the party, which is already embattled by a series of election defeats, call for party reforms, decline of its vote base, deteriorating party discipline and deserting of party officials and members.