News
Virtually impossible to remove Maithripala constitutionally: Dayasiri
By Rathindra Kuruwita
It is virtually impossible to remove Maithripala Sirisena as the head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), given the party’s constitution, and the “illegal attempts” made a section of the politburo to remove Sirisena will only paralyze the party, former general secretary of the SLFP Dayasiri Jayasekera said.
He also denied allegations made by those attempting to oust Sirisena that it would be impossible to build a political coalition while the former president is the head of the SLFP.
“Yes, there are issues with Sirisena. However, there is a lot that can be done. Party leadership is not the only thing that matters in coalition building,” he said.
Jayasekera said that when he was the general secretary of the SLFP, a coalition under the ‘helicopter’ symbol was established.
“12 parties with 35 MPs were in that coalition. It was the MPs who joined the government for ministerial portfolios that opposed this coalition. They did a lot to dismantle the helicopter coalition. If not, the SLFP would be leading a strong coalition now,” he said.
Jayasekera said that the centre left parties need to come together to counter the anti-people activities of the government.
Following the conclusion of bilateral discussions between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, official-level talks between the delegations of Sri Lanka and India commenced this morning (05) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath; Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Anil Jayantha; Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, along with other senior officials.
The Indian delegation included Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and His Excellency Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, along with several other senior officials of the Government of India.
Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Friday [04] night, visited the Presidential Secretariat this morning (05).
The Indian Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake upon his arrival at the Presidential Secretariat.
Prime Minister Modi is currently on a state visit to Sri Lanka, reaffirming the theme “Friendship of Centuries — Commitment to a Prosperous Future” which symbolises the longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and India. The Indian Premier is scheduled to remain in the country until tomorrow (06).
[PMD]
The official welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was held this morning (05) at the Independence Square in Colombo.
On arrival at the Independence Square the Indian Prime Minister was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
Discussions between Sri Lankan and Indian delegations at the presidential secretariat
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Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi arrives at the presidential secretariat
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