President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday
(28) decided to suspend, with immediate effect, the SLFP membership of
minister Rajitha Senaratne and four others in order to foil a conspiracy
by Mahinda Rajapaksa supporters, reports say.
State intelligence had reported to the president that Rajapaksa
loyalists were trying to summon the party’s central committee, bring in a
proposal that he had violated party discipline and remove him as its
chairman.
He cancelled a CC meeting called for tomorrow purportedly to act against the five, alleging they had violated party discipline.
The president has informed the party’s top officials that there was
no need now to call the meeting as Rajitha Senaratne, S.B. Nawinna,
M.K.D.S. Gunawarena, Arjuna Ranatunga and Hirunika Premachandra have
been barred from the party.