March 26 rally:

No disciplinary action against SLFP politicos

by Uditha kumarasinghe

SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that the SLFP hierarchy has not yet discussed the disciplinary action to be taken against nearly 26 SLFP MPs and provincial politicians who participated in the rally at Ratnapura on March 26 to urge the SLFP to nominate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the UPFA’s Prime Ministerial candidate at the upcoming general election.

It was the third rally organised by the constituent partners of the UPFA, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, National Freedom Front, Democratic Left Front and Pivithuru Hela Urumaya.

However, SLFP Media Spokesman and State Minister for Housing and Samurdhi Dilan Perera told the Sunday Observer that if the SLFP wants to take disciplinary action against its members, it will be done in accordance with the party Constitution.

But the SLFP will not dance to the whims and fancies of the UNP. Some UNPers want to take action against our members to create divisions within the SLFP. If the UNP or some media personnel want, the SLFP is not ready to take action against its members. The SLFP has its own way of doing things, he said.

A statement issued by SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadharshana Yapa on March 3 stated that the SLFP Central Committee had banned its MPs, Provincial Councillors and Local Government members from attending pro-Mahinda Rajapaksa rallies organised by other political parties in the UPFA without prior approval.

The Central Committee also decided to prevent party representatives from acting on their own accord and holding media conferences. However, the UPFA politicians who participated in these rallies reiterated that they have not breached party discipline as they took part in rallies organised by some constituent parties of the UPFA.