By Sandun A Jayasekera

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has given an assurance to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) hierarchy yesterday that he would not have any political dealings with individual politicians of the SLFP but only with the party, when he met a team of top officials of the SLFP last morning at the Temple Trees.

General Secretary of the SLFP, former Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara told Daily Mirror that a team of officials of the party led by him met Premier Wickremesinghe yesterday to discuss the reported offer of ministerial positions to six SLFP parliamentarians in order to secure their support to the government.  
“We expressed our disappointment and disagreement on the covert overtures made to six SLFPers with a pledge to offer ministerial positions behind the back of the party. If both parties went ahead with the plan, the SLFP would have been in an extremely embarrassing position and under no circumstances would be able to support the Wickremesinghe government. Now that we have a better understanding, the SLFP would support the government in each and every measure taken to minimize the sufferings of the people in a double quick time,” Mr. Jayasekara stressed.  
If the SLFP expects to accept cabinet posts, the party leaders will talk to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Premier Wickremesinghe. If and when both parties came to an agreement in that respect, it will be presented to the Central Committee (CC) of the party for approval. Only then the SLFP would join the Wickremesinghe cabinet, he added.  

“If only a section of the party receives ministerial posts without the agreement of the party leadership and the approval of the CC, it will lead to a disintegration of the party, we explained,” he said.   

The SLFP team has also discussed with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on how to address the burning issues of the country such as food, fuel and gas, drug and raw material shortage, sharp increase of CoL and spiralling of commodity prices, steps to be taken to appreciate the rupee against the dollar and increasing of foreign reserves as soon as possible since the situation in the country is extremely precarious.  

The other SLFP members who participated in the discussion with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe were former deputy speaker, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Parliamentarian Sarathi Dushmantha.   

• The SLFP team has also discussed with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe on how to address the burning issues