Ven. Athuraliye Ratana, the Parliamentary group leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) on Monday scotched rumours that there was a split between its lay members and monks. Speaking to "The Island" he said rumour mongers were having a field day spreading malicious rumours. Certain elements are trying to make a "mountain out of a molehill". However, I have decided not to speak on the internal matters of the party among outsiders" and we will sort out our internal problems within the party.

Meanwhile JHU’s dissident Parliamentarian Ven Uduwe Dhammaloka, who boycotted the party’s meeting on Friday, demanded that the JHU membership tell the world the real position within the party before Wednesday. If they don’t he will let the "cat out of the bag" at a news conference scheduled for Wednesday he said.

Among the reasons he cited for boycotting Friday’s JHU meeting was that it would be injurious to Buddhist tradition for the clergy to engage in debates with a group of laymen. However, contrary to his statement on Friday, Ven Dhammaloka met party stalwarts yesterday and agreed to postpone his decision whether to resign from the party or not provided that they prove the accusations levelled against him. He said that if they failed to do so today he will announce his resignation tomorrow at a news conference.