SLFP patron CBK faces expulsion
Rebel members plan meeting at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on Tuesday
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, now patron of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), faces expulsion for being engaged in a deal with the New Democratic Front.
Enraged by the move, the SLFP's de facto leader President Maithripala Sirisena has summoned an urgent meeting of the party’s Central Committee, its policy making body, for Tuesday night. He will recommend her expulsion from the SLFP together with party members who are backing her.
Early on Tuesday, an organisation calling itself the Sri Lanka Nidhas Paksha Surakeemey Sangamaya or the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Protection Organisation is set to meet at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. It is to be presided over by Ms Kumaratunga. Notices for the meeting,
circulated by SLFP Parliamentarian Kumara Welgama, have invited members and party supporters to be present. This also comes as an opportunity for Mr Sirisena and his party officials to identify SLFP members taking part.
Ms Kumaratunga was present at a ceremony organised by the New Democratic Front (NDF) at the Taj Samudra Hotel on Friday. On this occasion, a group styling itself Api Sri Lanka led by her signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
NDF. The signatories were Minister Rajitha Senaratne and Ruwan Ranatunga, a close associate of Ms
Kumaratunga. He is the brother of Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga.
NDF candidate Sajith Premadasa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem were among those present at the signing ceremony.
Though President Sirisena has declared that he remains “neutral” and stepped down temporarily from the chairmanship of the party, he remains the de facto leader and runs the day to day affairs of the party. He has been picked also as a co-leader of the 17 party alliance led by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.