There will be no joint leaders : State Minister C.B. Ratnayake

Colombo (News 1st): Several views were expressed in the political arena on the alliance between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. State Minister C.B. Ratnayake noted that some parties are hoping to seek joint leadership positions and there is no way to do so. He said that they will definitely contest the parliamentary election under the symbol of the Flower Bud. He noted that there are no Joint Leaders in that as there is only one leader. He added that unnecessary problems will arise if they talk about factions, and positions within the party. Meanwhile, UPFA MP Tharaka Balasuriya noted that they can face the parliamentary election using the image of their leader. He added that those in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party can use the image of their leader in their posters. He said that this is because they will have a problem if individuals contest using their leader's image and crossover a few years after entering Parliament. State Minister of Energy Rohitha Abeygunawardana also commented on the matter;

"There are no joint leaders. There is no such thing as joint leaders. Our party has only one leader and that is none other than Mahinda Rajapaksa. Any other leader can occupy positions under him. Any work should be carried out under one leadership."

UPFA MP Nishantha Muthuhettigamage stressed that they do not have problems. He noted that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party is ready for the election and that they are ready to work for the victory of our alliance in a free manner without any conditions, limitations or barriers. He added that they share the same voice with the SLPP. He went onto note;

"We neither played cricket nor did we act. What we did was politics. If politicians are placed on the top, innocent lower rung politicians face the brunt of it. Whoever prepares the nomination list, I request that it be done in a reasonable manner by including those who have been in this party setup and are familiar with the party."