Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena who expects to become the prime minister at the next cabinet reshuffle is being pressurized within the government to withdraw any such plan. The latest to attempt to overturn Minister Sirisena’s dream has been the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa.
In an interview with a daily newspaper Minister Basil Rajapaksa has said Mr. JR Jyawardene never allowed the secretary general or the treasurer of the party to participate in elections and he has appreciated this policy followed by JR saying it was very correct.
Minister Sirisena, who has been the secretary general of the party for more than 15 years during the UF government, has also been a powerful minister in the government for about 10 years. During this whole period the issue had never come up and Minister Basil Rajapaksa coming out with such a statement at present indicates an attack on Minister Sirisena’s dream of becoming the prime minister say political analysts.
It is another instance of pressurizing Minister Sirisena point out political analysts saying he getting the prime minister’s post would be a challenge to the Rajapaksa family rule.
The media had revealed that a top person of the government had deployed trade unions favourable to the government to come out with public criticism against Minister Sirisena stating that a minister unable to maintain the Ministry of Health would not be suitable for the post of prime minister.
