Majority for Mahinda with Ravi waiting to cross over with 23 of UNP?

Majority for Mahinda with Ravi waiting to cross over with 23 of UNP?

S.B. Dissanaike and Ananda Aluthgamage have said that support of 23 UNP members of parliament are forthcoming in order to show the majority in parliament for Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister.

Apparently there is a total of 97 from UPFA, CWC and EPDP while the support of Ananda Aluthgamage, Wasantha Senanayaka and Athureliye Rathana Thero are apparently giving a support of 100 persons to the Alliance. Whatever it is, still 13 are short for the parliament majority of 113.

S.B. or Ananda has not mentioned as to who is to come from the UNP for Mahinda's support. While there is only 3 weeks for parliamentary sessions to begin, news keep circulating around that members of parliament would be preyed upon for money or other reasons as a 'game'.

In the meantime the closest aid for Mahinda to take his oaths was the confirmation that 22 supporters would be supporting him from the UNP. It is reported that deputy leader of the United National Party, MP Mr. Ravi Karunanayaka has made this confirmation. It was learned that his appointment to accommodate him with a good position to be arranged by Mahinda - Maithri who are awaiting for whoever it is who is willing to form a new government and particularly for Ravi who was cornered as a result of attaching him to the bond scam with which he was accused as a link.

Whatever it is, certain news clips reported by now say that their is a difficulty in getting down a majority crowd from UNP as mentioned by Ravi and operations to strengthen the Mahinda faction is thus facing a crisis; therefore the operations committee including Basil Rajapaksa are searching for a solution in that respect. Though Ravi happens to be the deputy leader of UNP, after this crisis concerned, he has not joined in any of UNP meetings held by Ranil. This anti-Ranil attitude was revealed by a speech made in public prior to Mahinda swearing in.

Ravi has made the following speech last week in the presence of a group of pensioners. "The government has burdened the people with taxes. Because of that the public say that it would be possible to send this government 'back home'. Isn't it our leader who dismissed me and chose another as the Minister of Finance? There is a queen also who faced public displeasure. That person is a pupil of that person. Though we are frontline players of the party ... we have to occupy the back seat and watch like a spectator. When the United National Party faced defeat, the big people wanted us when we carried the burden on our shoulders and rescued them. I lost most people when I tried to rescue the party and the leadership. When we keep getting close to leadership, some gossipers do not like it. What they try to do is to circulate various gossip and keep us apart. What happened to king Sri Wickrema Rajasingha too was lose his comrades by going to give ear to gossip. People like religious leaders, Judas, Devadatta and Chinchimanavikas had to face such circumstances those days and during present days also there are people of that generation. Tomorrow also there will be people of that type. Whatever it is ... there is a saying that even a king has two reasons to make blunders. That is, forget the past and lack of gratitude".