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Imtiaz accuses Ranil of staging media blitz against him
Former Information Minister Imtiaz Bakeer-Markar was the unexpected centre of attraction at Firday's UNP Working Committee meeting when he accused party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe of orchestrating a media-blitz against him in connection with the on-going VAT refunds investigations.

Mr. Bakeer-Markar said he has been targeted by a newspaper supportive of the party leader. The newspaper had clear innuendos that he was implicated in the VAT scandal, he said, and queried if the party hierarchy had been behind the move to tarnish his image.

The one-time MP from Beruwela said that The Sunday Times had also questioned him about his alleged involvements, and said that he had denied any knowledge of the huge multi-billion rupee fraud, but had admitted to the newspaper that he knew some of the persons being investigated.
Mr. Bakeer-Markar went on to say that he had even taken some of those accused persons to see the party leader, but vehemently denied any impropriety on his part.

Speaking on the issue of the recent revocation of former Fisheries Minister Mahinda Wijesekera from the UNP's Working Committee and as Matara district organiser by the party leader, Mr. Bakeer-Markar accused Mr. Wickremesinghe of being "out-of-touch" with political reality, and described how he was treated shabbily as a Minister in his Cabinet from 2001-2004.

Among the litany of charges levelled against Mr. Wickremesinghe was how multi-religious ceremonies were done away with during party rallies, resulting in the alienation of support for the party.

Mr. Bakeer-Markar spoke after party seniors M.H. Mohamed and S.B. Dissanayake raised issue of the Mahinda Wijesekera sidelining following Mr. Wickremesinghe's opening address to the Working Committee where he said that he took action against the former Fisheries Minister because he was publicly criticising him, calling for party reforms and a change of leadership.
Mr. Wickremesinghe told the UNP's highest policy-making body that his decision was a prerogative he had as party leader, and that it was not a suspension or removal of Mr. Wijesekera from the Working Committee and as Matara district organiser, but a revocation of his appointment. He pointed out that a formal suspension or removal as party organiser could only be done by the Working Committee.

Newly appointed Nuwara-Eliya district MP and one-time Health Minister Renuka Herath supported the party leader and urged him not to change his decision on Mr. Wijesekera and to remain firm with those who violated party discipline. Galle MP Hemakumara Nanayakkara and Badulla MP Lakshman Seneviratne also backed the part leader. During a heated debate lasting nearly two hours, Kalutara district MP and former Lands Minister Rajitha Senaratne accused Mr. Wickremesinghe of being the one who had broken party discipline by taking a unilateral decision against Mr. Wijesekera, who the MP said had spent his personal funds for the party in the many campaigns of recent years.
UNP National Organiser S.B. Dissanayake urged the party leader to reconsider his decision and pointed out that Mr. Wijesekera and he joined the party together by breaking away from the PA, and that they had an agreement to stick together.

The issue was resolved after Kandy district MP Abdul Cader called for some leniency on this matter saying that "everyone makes mistakes". This view was backed by Wickremesinghe-loyalist Johnston Fernando, the Kurunegala district MP and ex-Minister of Sports.

The Working Committee then agreed that Mr. Wijesekera should not have publicly criticised the party leader but to appoint a disciplinary inquiry committee to go into the matter and see if Mr. Wijesekera could be reinstated after an apology — but not before Mr. Wickremesinghe had replied Mr. Bakeer-Markar's accusations against him and the party hierarchy.

Mr. Wickremesinghe referred to the newspaper that had highlighted Mr. Bakeer-Markar's alleged involvement with those under investigation for the VAT fraud, and said that it was the newspaper that once backed Mahinda Rajapaksa, and that he (Mr. Wickremesinghe) had a longer association with The Sunday Times.

He told Mr. Bakeer-Markar that if he had really wanted to have him attacked he would have turned to The Sunday Times and asked for help. He inquired from Mr. Bakeer-Markar if he felt The Sunday Times unfairly attacked him. When there was no answer, he asked him "Why don’t you trust your leader?".
Then he went on to meet some of the other points raised in Mr. Bakeer-Markar's speech. On the issue of doing away with religious ceremonies during political rallies, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that this was done on security advice after the assassinations of their leaders President R. Premadasa, Lalith Athulathmudali and Gamini Dissanayake.

He pointed out that only one UNP MP has died under his leadership.
The Working Committee also went into the allegations and counter-allegations by M.H. Mohamed and Mohammed Maharoof, the Borella and Colombo Central MPs respectively, over the party's flawed electoral list for the Colombo Municipal Council.

M.H. Mohamed accused Mr. Maharoof of fiddling with the list and interpolating unauthorised persons into the list, while Mr. Maharoof counter-accused M. H. Mohamed of acting irresponsibly as the Colombo authorized agent in approving the ill-fated list.

Colombo East MP Milinda Moragoda, another accused in the plot to replace candidates on the CMC list with their supporters, was absent from yesterday's Working Committee meeting. The matter was put to the on-going Mahinda Haradasa-Milroy Perera Coimmittee for further inquiry.

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