Former Southern Provincial Councilor Attorney-at-Law Ajith Prasanna, a staunch supporter of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has withdrawn from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) or Pohottuwa complaining that the rift between the Rajapaksa brothers has led to an internal split in the party.
Posting a video on his Facebook page, he said that he would function as an independent member and would expose rogues of the pro-Mahinda camp as well as the Government with evidence through a new platform called “People’s Movement against Corruption”. Prasanna said that he faced many insults from within the party after he publicly supported the candidacy of former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as the next President.
He complained that he was cut off from all the SLPP rallies and meetings, and that he was asked to withdraw his statement where he put forward the name of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
“We witnessed the campaign opposed to the election of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as the President being carried out from within the party itself. This is a deliberate and organised effort. MPs Kumara Welgama, Dinesh Gunawardena and Wimalaweera Dissanayake have already spoken against Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s candidacy,” he commented.
He said there are attempts to first nominate former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa’s name as the prospective candidate and later switch to former Minister Basil Rajapaksa.
Prasanna alleged that the SLPP is being controlled according to the whims and fancies of Basil Rajapaksa even though Prof.G.L. Peiris is its nominal leader.
Prasanna however said that he would not join with any other political party in the future, but would continue to speak out on behalf of the War Heroes’ grievances and entitlements.