Sajith kept on hold

Regaining the UNP’s deputy leadership seems to be the goal, so near but yet so far for Hambantota district parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa.

Though the party leadership had previously indicated that Premadasa will be reinstated as the deputy leader at UNP’s 68th anniversary meeting in Passara yesterday. Sirikotha sources said there had been severe opposition to the earlier decision of re-appointing Premadasa as the deputy leader.

UNP parliamentarians Ravi Karunanayake, Mangala Samaraweera and Karu Jayasuriya are not in favour of bringing Premadasa as the deputy leader.

UNP national leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had earlier planned to bring Premadasa back to unite the party, defused the tension when he said that prominence would be given to Premadasa when appointing a deputy leader for the party.

“He had once held the post of deputy leader of the party, so his name would be given priority,” the Opposition leader said in his address at the UNP’s 68th anniversary.

Without making a commitment, Wickremesinghe said that the party’s Working Committee would decide about the deputy leader's post. However, the UNP leader has not given any time frame though the UNP General Secretary had declared that Premadasa will join the party’s campaign for the Uva Provincial Council elections from today.