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Hit by crossovers, UNP opens doors to Kumaratunga loyalists
By Santhush Fernando
Faced with a major crisis and revolt, the main opposition UNP has decided to revive the United National Front (UNF) in a bid to attract loyalists of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The UNP’s policymaking working committee and the parliamentary group at an emergency meeting on Thursday following the defection of two top MPs decided to broadbase the party by reviving the UNF which would include the Ceylon Workers Congress and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, party sources said.

As Mahinda Samarasinghe and Keheliya Rambukwella were sworn in as ministers amidst speculation of at least 12 other MPs being on the crossover border, the party sources said they hoped to respond by attracting Kumaratunga loyalists such as Dilan Perera, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Mervyn Silva.

According to a resolution adopted by the working committee, the proposed UNF would include leftist parties that did not agree with the UNP's open economic policies, but agreed with its approach to the north-east conflict.
The party also decided to withdraw its support for the government’s all-party conference to find a solution to the ethnic conflict but this decision was later suspended and the party would adopt a wait-and-see approach, the sources said.

UNP leaders earlier warned they would withdraw support to the government on the ethnic conflict on the basis that the government was playing a double game by trying to encourage crossovers from the UNP.

Matara district parliamentarian Mahinda Wijesekera had proposed the resolution withdrawing support for the government on four grounds —enticing UNP MPs, not agreeing to the release of national organizer S. B. Dissanayake, continuing to harass UNP supporters and the disenfranchisement of voters at the last presidential election.

But Deputy General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said there would be further discussions on this resolution. Other party sources said the UNP would withdraw from the all-party conference if the government did not respond to its demands on the four issues.

Mr. Wijesekera also said a ‘Sathyagraha’ would be started on February 2 by JHU dissident monk Ven. Uduwe Dhammalaoka Thera, calling for the release of Mr. Dissanayake.

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