DID MAHINDA ACTUALLY GET NOMINATIONS? CONTRADICTORY RUMOURS PUBLISHED

DID MAHINDA ACTUALLY GET NOMINATIONS?
                  CONTRADICTORY RUMOURS PUBLISHED

A big hulabaloo has taken place in the political arena with a press media being released with the signature of the General Secretary of of the Alliance,

Susil Premjayanth reaching all media saying that former President Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa is to receive nominations from the United People's Freedom Alliance and that it has received the blessings of the present President Maithripala Sirisena.

An opinion has been expressed that the misunderstanding displayed to the masses between former President and present President is only a piece of acting and it was analysed as a decision taken for the purpose of only uniting the Party. Just about one hour later Dinesh Gunawardana had at a brief media confrontation at Narahenpita Abhayarama said that former President Mahinda had expressed his consent to this decision. What Wimal said was that it was a victory that Mahinda and Maithri has patched up and held hands together. A propaganda campaign to start on the 9th of this month was also spoken of by Vasudeva Nanayakkara in his speech. Nothing about that letter issued by General Secretary Susil nor the President's Media Unit was mentioned until night. But whether this letter was released with the sanction of President Maithripala or not has created a suspicion according to news received by evening. 

What a report from the e-news newspaper says is that Maduluwawe Sobhitha when contacted by telephone by the President this evening was when the thero queried about it the President had replied that he is not aware of it. The President has in turn replied Sobhitha Thero saying that he may inquire about it from Susil. In the meantime what an evening newspaper reported was that this was a judgement arrived at during a secret meeting held in Susil Premajayanth's home by seniors of the Alliance who were influenced subsequent to the rejection by the President yesterday. A story is circulating that though this has been given by Susil utilising his powers as the General Secretary of the Party, the signature of the President as the chairman has not been placed for the said document. 

In the process, Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has mentioned in his Facebook Page that this is a campaign carried out in connivance by Susil and Wimal and that the Alliance has not taken such a decision. However, Minister Rajitha Senaratna, a stalwart of the Maithripala faction addressing a radio channel had remarked, "He asked for the position of Prime Minister, leadership of the group as well as the opportunity of getting nomination. Everything was rejected. Later it was said that there was a possibility only of nominations that could be allowed. That is what has been given. That decision has been given with everybody in the group getting together. Otherwise it's to the advantage of the United National Party no".

If giving nominations to Mahinda was effected by a single-handed decision of Susil Premajayanth, the President's Media Unit is able to make an announcement immediately about this. But until 11 in the night it did not happen so. The media not being able to get at them with the unit concerned not giving any response, is an issue. Equally so, Susil, Nimal, Anura and John the former MPs who came to face the media this evening at Darley Road had hidden matters from the media about the discussion held last night thus leaving room for the media an element of suspicion.

In the process, according to what former MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara said in the evening, seniors of the SLFP have said that the Alliance have not discussed about a political propaganda campaign programme of which he spoke about. The new trend that has occured which has been reported this night is that the SLFP is conducting discussions in two different locations as two distinct cliques. Discussions have started with Mahinda Group at the home of Prasanna Ranatunga while the Maithri Faction at another place in Colombo.