Thalatha lambastes Sajith for collapse of UNP-SJB talks

UNP General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale has alleged that talks between the SJB and the UNP could have achieved a consensus if not for the selfish attitude of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa.

- BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO

The veteran UNPer accused the former UNP Deputy Leader of being the primary obstacle to the rapprochement of the divided party.

Addressing those contesting Colombo and Kalutara districts under the 'elephant' symbol at the May 06 Local Government polls at Sirikotha, former parliamentarian Atukorale said that Premadasa spurned UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's repeated offers to bring the two parties together.

Having switched allegiance to Premadasa following the breakup of the party in the wake of their defeat at the 2019 presidential election. Atukorale entered parliament on the SJB ticket at the parliamentary elections conducted in August 2020.

Regretting her decision to leave the UNP at that time, the former minister disclosed that she got in touch with Wickremesinghe just a month after the parliamentary election and since then sought to bring the warring parties together.

Alleging that Premadasa had never been genuine in talks with the UNP and throughout the period undermined Wickremesinghe, the turncoat claimed that the SJB parliamentary group received instructions to work against the UNP leader when the parliament elected him the President in July 2022 in the wake of Aragalaya.

Instead of voting against Wickremesinghe in parliament we abstained, she said, while finding fault with Premadasa for sabotaging bid at least to field a joint team at the Colombo Municipal Council.