Proposal To Axe MR And Basil From SLFP To Be Presented To President This week

A group of SLFP will present a proposal to President Maithripala Sirisena to expel former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Minister Basil Rajapaksa from the party, this week,  informed party sources told Asian Mirror. 

"The expulsion is likely to happen as a prelude to drastic party reforms," a senior SLFP Parliamentarian told on Sunday. 

The move comes in the wake of discussion held by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga with the re-organisation committee of the SLFP at Heritance Hotel, Ahungalle, last week.

SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake, Athauda Seneviratne, Nandimithra Ekanayake, Mahinda Amaraweera, Shan Vijayalal de Silva and several other seniors of the party attended the discussion.

Many who attended the meeting raised concerns over former minister Basil Rajapaksa's attempt to form a new party, causing a division in the SLFP. They said the former Economic Development Minister had held a round of meetings in the Badulla district, to mobilise support for their new political campaign.

Re-organisation committee members who attended the meeting stressed that stern action had to be taken to ensure discipline among party members.

They also agreed that the party had to embark on a comprehensive reforms programme, to strengthen its position at the grassroots level, before the next Parliamentary election.

The former President, at the meeting, said she would discuss the matter with the President and make necessary decisions to expedite the reforms programme.