During the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentary Group Meeting, held yesterday, a proposal had been unanimously ratified extending the party’s unstinted support and loyalty to its leader MP Sajith Premadasa, thus dealing a massive blow to a plot hatched by MP Patali Champika Ranawaka to derail the Party.
It is alleged that Ranawaka had taken the lead and conspired to spread fabrications and spurious charges against the Opposition Leader through the creation of fake news items and videos concerning Premadasa and those close to him.
Interestingly, Ranawaka himself had become party to the proposal brought to support Premadasa’s leadership, once it had dawned on him that not a single MP of the party had thrown in their lot with him to destabilise the party leader. It has been alleged that Ranawaka had used various interviews to criticise the Opposition Leader who is still recuperating in hospital after testing positive to COVID-19.
Besides Ranawaka, the other SJB MPs who had been instrumental in tabling the proposal to support Premadasa’s leadership, are Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella, MPs Mano Ganesan and Rauff Hakeem. The proposal had been seconded by Party General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabandara, Rajitha Senaratne, Sarath Fonseka and Ashok Abeysinghe.