Tensions between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna have reached a boiling point, as the failure to appoint senior MPs proposed by the party to ministerial positions and unilateral decisions made by the President during a recent cabinet reshuffle intensify the ongoing crisis.
This internal crisis of the government comes ahead of a curucial budget of which the final vioting will take place in mid-December.
The heart of the issue lies in the unresolved status of prominent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna members, including Rohitha Abeygunawardena, SM Chandrasena, Wimalaweera Dissanayake, Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, CB Rathnayake, and SB Dissanayake, who were put forth as ministerial candidates by the party but have yet to secure ministerial appointments. This delay has fueled discontent and heightened divisions within the party.
Furthermore, the crisis has been further exacerbated by President Wickremesinghe’s unexpected alterations to the ministerial positions of senior figures like Keheliya Rambukwella, causing unease and frustration among party members.
In an unexpected turn of events, it has come to light that some senior members within the SLPP faction, who had been hopeful of receiving ministerial positions, have ceased their regular visits to the Battaramulla party office. This move reflects the deepening disillusionment within the party’s ranks.