SJB reject President’s offer

Colombo, July 16 (Daily Mirror) - The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) rejected the offer by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to reinstate the UNP membership of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and others if they extend their support to safeguard the nation.

The rejection came from SJB MP S.M. Marikar and the party’s campaign manager Sujeewa Senasinghe today.

“The President has offered to reinstate our membership in the UNP if we support him to safeguard the nation. However, we are not prepared to accept this offer as we don’t want to be on the stage with SLPP Ministers such as Prasanna Ranatunga, Prasanna Ranaweera and Rohitha Abeygunawardene,” MP Marikar told a media briefing today.

“The President seems to be in a dilemma as to whether he should contest the Presidential election as he does not seem to be able to obtain the support of fifteen to twenty SJB MPs as he had claimed earlier. However we want him to contest the Presidential elections as it will be favourable to us if he does,” he said.

Senasinghe said the SJB will once again bring into light the development style of late UNP leaders such as D.S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, Lalith Athulathjmudali and Gamini Dissanayake.