UNP heavyweight S.B. Dissanayake is seeking to
enter Parliament through the National List. He has discussed
this with UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, informed sources
said.
Political sources said that Dissanayake and his
supporters are of the view this would help the UNP to step up
its campaign against President Mahinda Rajapakse's
administration.
Rajapakse released Dissanayake recently. The
presidential pardon was given after the former Nuwara Eliya
District MP lost his parliamentary seat for being away from
Parliament for three months. This paved the way for his
colleague Renuka Herath to take over his place while National
List MP Navin Dissanayake assumed the Nuwara Eliya district
leadership previously held by Dissanayake.
Party sources said that Dissanayake's request
placed Wickremesinghe in an extremely difficult position. An
influential section of the parliamentary group, calling for far
reaching organisational reforms, is believed to be taking a pro-Dissanayake
stand. They are promoting Dissanayake as a Deputy Leader, the
other being the incumbent Karu Jayasuriya. The sources said that
Dissanayake was on the offensive. His bid is likely to receive
wide support in the run upto the March 30 local government polls
thereby triggering a fresh clash between Wickremesinghe
loyalists and reformists.
