Section of SJB behind planned protest – intelligence agencies

By Saman Indrajith

Several political parties have distanced themselves from the planned Arab Spring type protests countrywide on 03 April.

The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) itself seems to be divided over the scheduled protests. Other opposition groups including the JVP and its splinter Frontline Socialist Party called on their members not to support or participate in April 3 protests.

The conflict within the SJB started after its leader Sajith Premadasa and senior parliamentarian Dr. Rajitha Senaratne gave voice cuts in support of the protests to be held on 03 April. Social media posts of a mass protest countrywide were first circulated on Monday evening and they went viral by Tuesday evening. Large number of social media activists too shared them and put up posts in support of the protest that seemed to have come up spontaneously.

On Wednesday a Whatsapp group had been created with contact details of orgnanisers at the district level.

Meanwhile, security establishments analysing contact details of the district organisers published in whatsapp groups have found that all 25 district organisers are SJB members and some of them are in the SJB Working Group.

Party sources said that many senior SJB leaders had found fault with its leader and MP Senaratne releasing video clips inviting people to protests and agitations without a mechanism to take the organisational responsibility.

They demanded that party General Secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara hold a press conference and disassociate the party officially from the protest organised by a section of the SJB without consent from the party leadership.

Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Senior MP Lakshman Kiriella said that they had asked their members to support the protest. “This is a protest by the people. It is to express their opposition to the state of affairs in the country. As we are thinking on the same lines there is nothing wrong in our members supporting this protest,” Kiriella said, adding that the SJB was not involved in organising it.

JVP Central Committee member and former MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that his party had decided not to take part in the protest.