CBK – Sirisena patch-up in SLFP’s interest?

By Aruna Boghawatte

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has given her consent to join the SLFP again, party sources told the Sunday Island on Friday.She gave her consent to re-join the party when several SLFP stalwarts met her last week, party sources said. Signifying her rejoining, the former President is scheduled to attend SWRD Bandaranaike commemoration scheduled to be held at the Bandaranaike statue in Galle Face tomorrow (8), party sources said.

Kumaratunga was offered the party leadership but she insisted that she must be the party’s chairperson, a position more powerful than the party leadership according to its constitution, sources said.

Incumbent party President and Leader former President Maithripala Sirisena has agreed to give powers to Kumaratunga to appoint members to the party’s Central Committee. However, Kumaratunga has not yet responded to that offer, party sources said, adding that bringing in Chandrika Kumaratunga back to the party is one of the main moves for the party’s reforms program in view of upcoming elections.

The SLFP executive committee and the central committee are scheduled to meet on Monday (8) at the party headquarters in Darley Road where a final decision would be made on the post and powers to be given to former President Kumaratunga, sources said. The committees are also tasked with discussing the ways and means of facing upcoming elections.

Sources said that as of now the incumbent party leadership and top brass have come to an agreement that the party would face any upcoming election in alliance with other like-minded parties.

CBK played a major role in anointing Maithripala Sirisena as the common opposition candidate at the presidential election of 2019 when Sirisena defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa. But she and the president soon became distanced from each other and have not for many years appeared together at Bandaranaike commemoration events.