JVP split; Eleven MPs defect with Wimal
JVP split; Eleven MPs defect with Wimal
JVP internal crisis came to the surface today (08) with the special statement made by the JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa and a group of MPs held a press conference this evening in Colombo.
MP Piyasiri Wijenayaka and ten other MPs had called the press briefing to mark the protest against the removal of Wimal Weerawansa. But MP Ranaweera Pathirana who participated in it, began to express contradictory views rationalizing the stand of the party leadership creating a pandemonium as the media questioned about the paradox.
A police team led by a Senior Superintendent of Police came to the scene of press conference to accompany MP Ranaweera Pathirana safely back to the party headquarters. When media enquired who sent police, they said that MP Anura Kumara Disanayaka requested it.
Piyasiri Wijenayake and Jayantha Samaraweera (Kalutara), Weera Kumara Dissanayake and Samansiri Herath (Puttalam), Padma Udaya Shantha (Moneragala), Achala Jagoda and Deepal Gunasekara (Ratnapura), Nimal Premawansa (Nuwara Eliya), Ranaweera Pathirana (Anuradhapura), Sujatha Alahakoon (Matale) and National List MP Mohamed Muzamil joined the press conference and MP Ranaweera Pathirana expressed ideas against the statement made by MP Weerawansa at the parliament.
MP Piyasiri Wijenayaka addressing the press conference said that the JVP was becoming a name board stuck in the UNP strategies and his group had joined with MP Weerawansa to avoid it.
MP Sujatha Alahakoon said that this kind of press conference would not be held if the problem could be solved within the party organizations. She said that although the group will stay with MP Weerawansa, they would neither break away from the party nor join the government or the UNP.
Here are the questions posed by the media and the answers of the MPs of the Wimal Weerawansa group.
Question: Who are the conspirators in the party? What is your stand on them?
Answer: There are wrong doers in the JVP too like in other parties. But they will be given a chance to correct themselves. They will be named only if they fail to do so.
Question: Are there conspirators in the highest echelon of the party as well?
Answer: They are in various levels.
Question: Is the statement made by the MP Weerawansa today in the parliament correct?
Answer: That statement led us for this press conference. It is correct. He made it to the JVP MPs and the members. Conspirators have come here too. (Looks at MP Ranaweera Pathirana) Like Wijeweera did then, we will slap on the face of the conspirators and march forward.
Question: If there are conspirators in the party leadership, will you mean a change in the leadership?
Answer: We will decide it at a party congress.
Question: Does this group work independently or do you join MP Weerawansa?
Answer: Our effort is to correct the party. Therefore, we will not break away from JVP. We summoned this press briefing since we were shocked with the statement of MP Weerawansa. We agree with him.
Question: Did the controversy erupt since the JVP ushered Mahinda Rajapskse to Presidency after winning the general election via UPFA?
Answer: No, that point is incorrect.
Question: Do you mean the JVP's verbal protest to the President Mahinda Rajapakse as the conspiracy?
Answer: The cause for our protest is the sudden removal of MP Weerawansa from the party.
Question: So far, you said that the media reports on JVP internal conflicts were fabrications. Didn�t you cheat to the people?
Answer: We had to do so to correct the party and we took this step to avoid that error.
Question: Do you mean that there are two groups in JVP?
Answer: You are witnessing it now.
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