Video: We will continue our struggle : Maithri

5 February 2014 02:57 pm Views - 4507

Former UNP Southern provincial councillor Maithri Gunaratne said today he and Shiral Laktilleke would resume the struggle from Kandy to remove UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the leadership council in April this year after the UNP’s expected defeat at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections.

He said they would elect Sajith Premadasa as the party leader and then bring UNP into power within three months.

“Our party memberships, posts of organiser and councillorships were taken away and now we have been deprived of our nominations as well.  But we will not stop our struggle and will protect the UNP and its members even at the cost of our lives. Ranil has shown that he is the one who takes the decisions and not the leadership council. The leadership council has become a joke. We challenge UNP to get at least 30% at the upcoming Provincial Council Elections. We will organise another protest march in April from Kandy urging the UNP leadership and the leadership council to go. We will bring in Sajith Premadasa as the party leader and ensure the victory of the UNP within three months,” he said.

Former Western Provincial Councillor Shiral Lakthilaka said that even though they were not given nominations to contest the Provincial Council elections, they would not leave the party or contest from another party and would continue their struggle to change the party leadership.

“If this party is to win elections, it should be reorganized and the leadership should be changed. We agree with the concept of the leadership council but it should get more powers. The fact that the leadership council chairman Karu Jayasuriya was unable to do anything regarding the finalising of the nominations alone proves that the leadership council does not have any power. If someone tries to expel us from the party, it would be a complete failure,” he said.(Ajith Siriwardana)
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Camera by Ajith Siriwardana