Opposition leaders of all Provincial Councils, who are the UNP group leaders in the respective Provincial Councils met today and decided that the party leadership should not be changed as it is a strong decision taken by the Working Committee.
The UNP Opposition Leaders of the Provincial Council decided that determining the party leadership is entirely a matter of the UNP Working Committee and that UNP members of PC have no business on that. None of the UNP Opposition Leaders of the Provincial Councils attended last Friday’s controversial meeting called by Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa.
Addressing media in Colombo, Eastern Provincial Council Opposition Leader, Daya Gamage rejected Sajith group’s claims that the UNP vote base has been eroded. He said the party leader is not the only person who should take responsibility of election defeats. He added that an election loss should not be blamed solely on the party leadership and that everybody in the party has to accept responsibility for it.
Opposition Leader of the North Central Provincial Council, Kasthuri Anuradhanayaka said that there is no truth to the reports claiming the Sajith fraction had called upon all Provincial Councilors. Only 20 out of the 113 Provincial Council members had arrived, he alleged “even they had attended due to being forced and out of fear of losing Electoral Organizer posts.”