MP Chandima Weerakkody on Sunday warned the SLFP against continuing in the unity government, saying the longer it stays in the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the more it would suffer. 

The remark by the SLFP MP comes amidst widening gulf between the leaders of President Maithripala Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party and Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP).

“The longer we stay in the government, the more damaging it will be for the party,” Weerakkody said. “The SLFP must rid itself of this government,” he added.

Weerakkody and 15 other SLFP leaders had last month walked out of the government leaving their ministerial jobs in a move to convince Sirisena to end the political marriage with the UNP.

The unity government of SLFP and UNP was plagued with crisis ever since former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s new party pulled off a stunning victory in February’s local elections, seen as a referendum on the ruling alliance.

won the no-trust vote with strong backing from Tamil and Muslim minorities.

Last week, Sirisena revamped the party hierarchy by replacing key positions and the much-speculated decision to leave the unity government did not come to pass with the revamp.

Source: PTI

-Agencies