Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, in its political programme 01/08 last night, cashed in on the statement made by UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa that the latter was unaware of the agreement signed by the party with the Common Candidate of the opposition.

Those who presented the show – who openly supported the candidature of President Mahinda Rajapaksa – said the UNP Deputy Leader and the former General Secretary Tissa Attanayake were kept in the dark about agreements.

Attanayake, citing the same reason, crossed over to the government on January 08 and took oaths as the Minister of Health – the position which was vacated by former SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena.

It was clear that the state TV station placed Premadasa in good light while criticizing the conduct of the Common Opposition and its leaders.

Meanwhile, it was also stated during the programme that Sajith Premadasa had spoken to Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa recently over a political matter.

According to the programme, the UNP Deputy Leader had spoken to them to prevent the ruling party from poaching one of the Coordinating Secretaries of Premadasa named “Weerawila Gune.” Party stalwarts, following the programme, sarcastically said that Premadasa had apparently invented a new way of stopping crossovers from the opposition to the government. 

This remark was made in a context where Premadasa is at the receiving end of severe criticism from some quarters of the party over his alleged “associations” with some top echelons of the government.