SLFP mulls disciplinary action against JO march participants

Wednesday, 3 August 2016 00:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Chamodi Gunawardana

Following the Joint Opposition’s Jana Satana Paada Yathrawa, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) representatives yesterday said the Central Committee would discuss disciplinary action against SLFP members who directed participants to hoot at the SLFP headquarters on Monday.

Speaking to media at the SLFP weekly media briefing, Party General Secretary Minister Duminda Dissanayake claimed that a group of protesters had insulted the party and its former leaders’ memory by hooting and using foul language in front of its headquarters while the Paada Yathrawa was travelling toward Lipton Circus via Darley Road.

“President Maithripala Sirisena has been patient regarding the Joint Opposition’s behaviour during the last few months and he was trying to forgive them in the party’s interest. This time there has been a serious breach of discipline,” he charged.

Criticising the Paada Yathrawa and its participants, Dissanayake said the intention of members in the Joint Opposition was to split the SLFP into pieces to advance their personal political agendas.

“According to the Constitution this Government will exist for another four and half years and cannot be dissolved due to any reason. Then what is the point of holding a march to challenge a Unity Government which was set up for a particular period?”

Dissanayake further said genuine SLFPers should work to build the party’s future and not one person’s future.

Meanwhile, United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera told Local Government (LG) members who had violated party discipline along with the Joint Opposition members that they would not be given nominations for the upcoming LG polls.

“The party will strictly review past discipline records of existing LG members before offering nominations and persons who had already breached the procedures will not be nominated for the election,” he said.