UPDATE: Ranil accepts Tissa’s resignation; Karu rejects Ranil’s offer

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe has today accepted UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake’s resignation letter from his post as the party’s Chief Organizer for Kundasale electorate. 

Attanayake handed in his resignation to UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe last evening, citing the UNP’s loss in the Kundasale electorate of the Kandy District at the recent polls as the reason for the decision. 

The UNP General Secretary had accepted the blame for the loss instead of allowing the Opposition Leader to take all the blame and therefore stepped down from the post in order to facilitate a younger politician from the party. 

UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe had refused to accept the resignation letter at that moment as MP Tissa Attanayake has dedicated himself to the party and therefore his continued assistance is essential, a spokesman for the party said today. 

However, according to sources within the party the UNP leader has accepted the letter of resignation this afternoon.

Meanwhile UNP parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya has decided not to accept the UNP Working Committee membership, extended to him years after he was removed from the committee. 

Explaining on the reason for his decision, Jayasuriya has informed Mr Wickramasinghe that what is required at this point in time are not posts and titles, but to unite the entire party and achieve a political victory.

The former UNP Deputy Leader says he is dedicated for this purpose and will continue to act for the party. Jayasuriya also points out that accepting the Working Committee membership would lead to more rifts within the party as he is not the only person who has lost membership in the committee.