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Anura meets Rajapaksa

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Sacked Minister may be taken back

COLOMBO: In an interesting twist to the crisis within the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Anura Bandaranaike, one of the three sacked Ministers, called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa here on Wednesday in a bid to `sort out differences.'

Mr. Bandaranaike, who was sacked as National Heritage Minister, told the media that the meeting was `cordial and congenial' and they were able to discuss freely the differences between the two.

It is speculated that Mr. Bandaranaike could return to the Cabinet in the wake of the patch-up with the President. However, it was not clear about the fate of the other two Ministers — Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi.

The trio — Mangala Samaraweera, Anura Bandaranaike and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi — were originally scheduled to hold a news briefing on Tuesday. Later it was said it could take place on Thursday. However, in the light of the new developments there is uncertainty about the proposed press meet.

Mr. Rajapaksa, who returned here after a trip to the Maldives, is believed to have told his confidants that he is prepared to re-instate the sacked Ministers if they `repent.'

The dissidents appear to be assessing various possibilities, including a common front with the opposition parties, to mount a challenge to the authority of Mr. Rajapaksa.

Political deal

Local reports suggest that on Monday night Mr. Samaraweera held secret talks with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in a bid to strike a political deal. A local daily, quoting sources close to Mr. Samaraweera, said the former Agriculture Minister and JVP strongman, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, called on Mr. Samaraweera around 8 p.m. and the meeting went on well past midnight.

As of now, only the JVP has come out openly in support of Mr. Samaraweera who was instrumental in getting the party to campaign in favour of Mr. Rajapaksa in the 2005 Presidential election.

Separately, the United National Party, main Opposition group in Parliament, said that it would team up with other Opposition parties in Parliament on certain issues in the future. Party general secretary Tissa Attanayake said his party would join forces with other parties to voice against corruption, human rights violations, the soaring cost of living and abductions.

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