Ranil-backers To Launch New Alliance

COLOMBO (News 1st); Ministers & MPs from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, who are backing President Ranil Wickremesinghe, are set to launch a new political alliance on Thursday.

Minister Ramesh Pathirana will serve as the secretary of this new alliance, which will be led by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

State Minister of Investment Promotion, Dilum Amunugama, addressed concerns about the possibility of not being allowed to contest the next election from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). 

Amunugama clarified, "This is not about creating a new party. Don't misunderstand. This is an alliance. The main party involved is the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. Our faction is the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna. We also have Minister Pillayan, the EPDP, Asanka Navaratne, Ministers Tiran Alles, and Lanza. All these parties and their representatives are coming together to form this alliance. But let me be clear, our party remains the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. We do not know if we will be removed from the SLPP. We have no intention of leaving."

When asked if the alliance has a name, Amunugama responded, "All of that will be revealed on the fifth."

Addressing comments made by Mahinda Rajapaksa about his "saloon door" being open for those wishing to return, Amunugama stated, "We are confident that Rajapaksa's door will never be closed to us, just as his heart will always remain open to us. However, these decisions are crucial for the country at this moment. We have made this decision not against him, but alongside him. He formed the party with us, and we have always been his supporters. Whether we stay in the party or leave, our bond with him remains unbroken."

This new alliance marks a significant shift in the political landscape, with key figures from various parties uniting under a common cause while maintaining their allegiance to the SLPP.