The United National Party insisted that UPFA MP Keheliya Rambukwella had made a request to rejoin the party, contrary to his denials.

Releasing a statement, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim said that Rambukwella had met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe within days of the Presidential Election in January and requested to join the UNP. He had repeated the request twice on later occasions, Hashim said.

The UNP General Secretary added that there was no need for the party to take the likes of Rambukwella to its fold.

Recent media reports alleged that Rambukwella and two other UPFA MPs were requesting to join the UNP. The other UPFA MPs mentioned were Manusha Nanayakkara and Prof. G. L. Peiris. Nanayakkara slammed these rumors in a statement released yesterday.