If any MP needs to stay independent in Parliament, he or she should leave the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the party General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake stated.

Speaking to a vernacular newspaper, Dissanayake said that that any member who was elected to the parliament under the United People’s Freedom Alliance, has no legal right to work independently as a separate group, while being a member of the UPFA.

Speaking further, the Minister said that SLFP Central Committee makes decisions on party members, and that every member is bound by party constitution to accept any decision taken by the Central Committee.

Dissanayake said that although a group of SLFP members who did not join the ‘National government’ were allowed to sit in the opposition, the party had not permitted them to proceed as a separate group.

“The President has ensured the internal democracy. If someone takes the advantage of that freedom and tries to break up the party, measures would be taken against them to protect the party”, Dissanayake said.