By Our Political Correspondent
ECONOMYNEXT: President Maithripala Sirisena, who is facing intense criticism over accommodating his nemesis Mahinda Rajapaksa in the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), appears to have made a second U-turn in as many days.
President Sirisena reportedly agreed to name former strongman Rajapaksa as a UPFA candidate to face the August 17 parliamentary election, but even 24 hours after the initial announcement, he himself remained silent.
However, Buddhist monk Maduluwawe Sobitha, a key figure responsible for Sirisena's victory at January 8 vote, told reporters that he spoke with the president who claimed he was unaware of Rajapaksa getting a UPFA ticket.
"He says "mama danne na" ( I don't know)," the monk told reporters. "Let’s wait for him to make a statement."
Social media which strongly campaigned for Sirisena at the last election had by this week turned completely against him. "You betrayed 6.2 million voters," said one post on Facebook. Many described Sirisena in language that cannot be printed.
A more charitable headline said: "Maithri Undergoes Spine Removal Surgery after U Turn Tragedy."
Meanwhile, political sources said Friday's announcement by loyalists of Rajapaksa suggests that they had hijacked the UPFA and that Sirisena was powerless in the face of a major coup within the main opposition.
UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha was rumoured to have cut a deal with Rajapaksa to give them UPFPA nominations. Sirisena is now expected to lead a separate group at the August polls under the SLFP.
This means the UPFA will no longer have SLFP as a constituent party, Such a split would only strengthen the ruling UNP which could now be assured of a comfortable majority, political sources said.
At Friday's press conference at the Abhayarama temple in Colombo, Rajapaksa loyalists dodged questions on terms of the agreement reached with Sirisena who only a day earlier vowed he will not give nominations to any Rajapaksa.
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