Sri Lankan Leader Mahinda and his brother,Basil's supporters clash in Negombo !

The organizing committee meetings of the Gampaha District for this year's May Day saw Minister Basil Rajapaksa's supporters taking prominence after sidelining the President's supporters. Young parliamentarians and provincial councilors who are supportive of Basil have been given more powers and prominence while Minsters Felix Perera, Sarath Gunaratne, Sudarshani Fernandopulle and Neil Rupasinghe who are supportive of the President have been sidelined.

It is learnt that during the special meetings held on organizing for the May Day, Basil had intervened in the organizing work of electorates of senior ministers and deputy ministers who are supportive of the President and new parliamentarians and provincial councilors had been given powers and other allocations to oppose the senior party members.

Angered by this move, senior deputy minister and Negombo organizer, Sarath Gunaratne had said at the meeting, “SLFP is a single party with one leader. That is the President. If there is going to be a split in the party or two leaders are trying to rule it, that would be detrimental to the party. We work for the President. I'm not ready to do anything that any one else would tell me to do that goes beyond his words. The Negombo electorate was given to me by the President and I'm its organizer. I organize Negombo according to the President's wishes. There cannot be another leader for Negombo. I'm the organizer appointed by the President and I will organize the May Day in Negombo. Are you trying to split the party.”

Gunaratne had made this comment to Nimal Lanza.

However, the day before May Day, Lanza had summoned MPs and organizers and said that he was to be appointed as the organizer for Negombo and the Basil Rajapaksa would allocate finances for development work only to him. He had threatened that those who work against him would therefore have to suffer in future.

He had said that Negombo organizers and supporters should attend the May Day only in his buses.

Lanza had added that he was to be given more powers in future and that the fate of those who are now showing powers could not be known.

source: lankanewsweb