With the announcement that Sri Lanka Freedom Party President Maithripala Sirisena has banned Party General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara from party membership, it is reported that a serious crisis is being created within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. It is reported that its main office has already been closed, and its main gate has been locked.
Commenting on the current situation, Member of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara said that he will submit a petition to the court this afternoon (06) through a lawyer, challenging the decision of the party chairman.
With the dismissal of Dayasiri Jayasekara from the post of General Secretary, there is a greater chance of the party supporting the government becoming stronger, according to the party’s internal sources. If that happens, political sources say that the party may be further divided in the upcoming elections, and thus the president may become stronger.
According to the report, there are currently 64 members of the ruling Podujana Peramuna who are independent, and 32 of them have been wiah to support President Ranil Wickremesinghe through the new alliance formed by MP Nimal Lanza. Apart from that, a group of members of the Podujana Peramuna and Sri Lankan freedam Party in the current Cabinet are already working with the President.
It is reported that several members of Samagi Jana Balawega are also in talks with the government. Political sources say that next year will be an election year, and the general election or the presidential election will definitely be held in the coming year.
A similar situation occurred after the referendum held in 1982. Due to the conflict between the parties of Anura Bandaranaike and Chandrika Kumaratunga regarding the party headquarters, the Darly road party headquarters was locked by the court. Because of that division, President J.R. Jayawardena’s government was able to maintain their power for a long time.