Ranil’s Rally Trap: Will Namal Take the Bait or Break Free?
Legal Heat Mounts on IGP: From Regret to Reckoning
From Economy to Business Class: Politicians Face Turbulence Over Perks
We’re Left Exposed’: Opposition MPs Fear Political Retaliation
Will Namal Take the Bait?
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, made a sincere effort to secure the release of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had been arrested and remanded by the court over an alleged trip to London with his wife, Maithrie Wickremesinghe.
This intervention by Sajith and the SJB came despite many other serious allegations levelled by the government against Ranil. SJB saw the arrest, based solely on a foreign trip, as an unjust move by the authorities. At that moment, Sajith and the entire opposition demonstrated rare unity in standing against Ranil’s detention—a symbolic show of solidarity among opposition parties.
As we have repeatedly highlighted in this column, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was hospitalized for nearly four days immediately after his release, quickly began working to dismantle the very unity that had formed around his arrest. He aimed to seize control of the opposition, prevent the SJB from gaining strength, and redirect the momentum of unity toward himself—ultimately positioning himself to reclaim power either as Prime Minister or President.
Low – media campaign
To achieve this, Ranil launched a low-grade, demeaning political and media campaign aimed at destabilizing the SJB. In our ‘Inside Politics’ column, we detailed these malicious efforts targeting the SJB leadership. The result of this third-rate political mudslinging was a gradual erosion of the opposition’s emerging unity.
A central element of Ranil’s strategy was the anti-government rally scheduled for November 21st in Nugegoda, organized with some opposition parties. His hidden agenda was to bring all opposition factions onto one stage and present himself as their collective leader. Recognizing this manipulative intent from the outset, Sajith wisely chose not to participate in the rally.
Upon learning of Sajith’s boycott, Ranil turned his attention to Namal Rajapaksa. Ranil has long exploited the support of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), or ‘Pohottuwa’, especially since his entry into Parliament via the national list after losing the 2020 elections.
With the backing of SLPP ministers and MPs, Ranil ascended to the roles of Prime Minister and President. His gratitude was expressed by fragmenting the SLPP—luring away long-standing Rajapaksa loyalists to join his camp. In the 2024 election, the majority of votes Ranil received were not from the United National Party (UNP), but from defected SLPP supporters.
Recently, however, Namal has worked diligently to reclaim nearly 95% of those defected voters and bring back the MPs and ministers who had left the SLPP fold. Despite this, Ranil remained intent on holding the November 21st rally with Namal’s assistance. The message he conveyed to Namal was clear: if Sajith refused to participate, Namal could step in, assume leadership, and carry the movement forward.
Ban on Former Presidents
Namal is currently focused on rebuilding the party’s voter base, which had plummeted to just 2.5%. His efforts have shown signs of progress: within five months of a major defeat, he managed to raise support to 10%.
His strategy centers on distancing the party from controversial figures who tarnished its image during his father’s leadership, while bringing in energetic youth committed to revitalizing the movement. Namal has worked to gradually erase the public memory of once-reviled personalities such as Mahinda, Basil, and Chamal. Many observers believe this approach has met with a degree of success.
In light of this, Namal has expressed the view that senior politicians have incurred widespread public resentment. As a result, he believes that no former presidents should appear on the Nugegoda stage. Their presence, he argues, would evoke the atmosphere of outdated political rallies and undermine the fresh image he is trying to cultivate.
Instead, Namal suggests that receiving the blessings of former presidents—without their physical presence—would lend a sense of novelty to the event. When he shared this perspective with senior UNP leaders, they initially expressed agreement with the idea.
Ranil Breaks the Agreement
The ‘Inside Politics’ column has learned that, despite the initial agreement within the UNP, Ranil — in his usual underhanded style — is hatching a behind-the-scenes plan to seize the full spotlight of the Nugegoda rally. He has reportedly decided to mount the stage himself and take control of the entire show.
Although a decision has been made to hold an anti-government rally in Nugegoda, Ranil knows very well that the UNP does not have the capacity to bring in supporters for it. He also knows perfectly well that the party does not have enough loyal members to participate. Therefore, Ranil had planned to somehow bring in Pohottuwa (SLPP) members through Namal and show the country that he was leading a massive anti-government rally under his leadership.
Ranil had been working on this plan for several months — not just recently. Around three months ago, at a UNP Working Committee meeting, Ranil proposed that the UNP and the SLPP should ally. We reported this proposal and the responses of the UNP leadership through our “Inside politics” column that same week.
Oppose Ranil
At that meeting, senior UNP figures such as Thalatha, Ruwan, and Navin strongly opposed Ranil’s proposal. They had pointed out that the political cultures of the UNP and the SLPP are entirely different and can never be united. This view, once held only by the top leadership, has now spread to the grassroots levels of the UNP as well.
As a result, even the UNP’s grassroots members are now saying publicly that they have decided not to take part in the Nugegoda rally, as it gives more prominence to the SLPP. Reports also suggest that senior UNP members such as Navin Dissanayake have decided not to attend the rally. However, Ranil has decided to attend because he believes that if he stays away, Namal will gain the upper hand from the event.
Against this backdrop, last week several party leaders involved in the Nugegoda rally held a joint media briefing in Colombo. Representing the UNP were Thalatha Athukorale and Sagala Ratnayake, while the SLPP was represented by General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam and MP D.V. Chanaka. In addition, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa from the SLFP and Udaya Gammanpila from the PHU also participated.
Q & A
During the Q&A session of this press conference, an incident went unnoticed by many. A journalist asked whether any former Presidents would take part in the rally. The following exchange took place:
Journalist: “Is the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) not part of this?”
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa: “We can’t say they are not; it’s just that they are not here.”
Journalist: “Do political leaders like Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sajith Premadasa, and Maithripala Sirisena support this rally? Are they attending?”
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa: “Yes.”
Sagara Kariyawasam: “Not attending — but they have extended their blessings.”
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa: “Oh, I only heard the second part of the question…”
Attend but no speeches
Thus, when asked directly whether former Presidents would attend, Yapa replied “yes,” but Sagara interrupted loudly to clarify that while they were not attending, they had given their blessings.
According to our “Inside politics” column sources, this exchange revealed an internal dispute between the two sides. Many believe that unless the SLPP makes a final decision by the 21st on whether or not former Presidents will attend, the success of the Nugegoda rally will remain uncertain.
By Friday, however, reports suggested that Ranil had made another decision regarding the rally — that he would attend but would not deliver a speech. The SLPP’s reaction to this decision is still unknown.
Nonetheless, Namal is well aware of Ranil’s political maneuvers. In the past, Ranil’s political games took years to unfold, but now, their outcomes are visible almost immediately — mainly because everyone understands how Ranil operates.
Message to UNP
According to reliable sources, as soon as Namal realized Ranil’s plan, he sent a strong message to the UNP. The message stated that no former President should attend the Nugegoda rally on the 21st, and if anyone violated this condition, he (Namal) would not attend.
The implication was that if Namal stayed away, SLPP supporters would also not attend. Without them, the UNP and other supporting parties would not be able to gather even a hundred people for the rally.
Following this firm response from Namal, the UNP also took action. Last week, UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena called a media briefing and, in a special statement to a television channel, said that the country should once again give power to Ranil if it is to be steered in the right direction — and that Ranil should lead that process. Vajira also said that Ranil’s experience would be crucial for this.
Therefore, despite the message from Namal to the UNP, it appears that Ranil has not yet reversed his decision to attend the Nugegoda rally.
Don Juan Dharmapala?
In addition, there is currently significant political discourse surrounding the absence of certain opposition party leaders at the media briefing held with the participation of leaders from the UNP, SLPP, and SLFP. Notably, although Udaya Gammanpila, leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, attended the event, his political ally Wimal Weerawansa, leader of the National Freedom Front, did not. This absence has sparked much speculation in political circles.
Some claim that Ranil Wickremesinghe took the lead at the Nugegoda rally, and that Wimal has been sidelined in Ranil’s political game, which is why he chose not to participate. Historically, Wimal has always maintained a staunchly oppositional stance toward Ranil’s politics. He has consistently criticized Ranil’s economic policies, the measures Ranil took to end the war, the peace agreement signed with the LTTE, and Ranil’s broader social, economic, and cultural vision and agenda.
Wimal publicly accused Ranil of betraying the country. In fact, it was Wimal who first coined the name “Don Juan Dharmapala” for Ranil. Given this history, many now question whether Wimal can truly set aside all those statements and step onto a stage where Ranil is present.
Although Wimal has occasionally criticized Namal Rajapaksa in recent times, his long-standing representation of the Rajapaksa camp means that many people do not see a major issue with him aligning politically with Namal. However, political collaboration with Ranil is widely seen as fundamentally incompatible with Wimal’s political identity.
SJB Isn’t Coming
Furthermore, it was evident that journalists questioned the absence of any representatives from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) at the press conference. Responding to this, Gammanpila stated that although the SJB was not present at the media briefing at that moment, they would be on the Nugegoda stage on the 21st. Anura Yapa also mentioned that the SJB would join this anti-government movement in the future.
However, by that time, the SJB had already decided not to participate in the Nugegoda rally, which was being organized under the leadership of several parties including the UNP and the SLPP. This decision was first publicly announced at the press conference by S.M. Marikkar. At a media briefing held the previous week, Marikkar clearly stated that the SJB had decided not to take part in the Nugegoda rally.
Likewise, SJB MP Sujeewa Senasinghe, speaking on the political program “360” aired on Derana TV, also clearly expressed this stance. He stated that while the SJB would not participate in the Nugegoda rally, it was ready to work together with all opposition forces against any form of repression carried out by the government. However, Sujeewa also pointed out that there were many issues surrounding participation in the rally on the 21st.
In this way, the SJB’s decision not to join the opposition rally in Nugegoda was not due to any other reason but rather a result of the underhanded political games played by Ranil Wickremesinghe from behind the scenes against the SJB following his release from custody. One consequence of this was the collapse of the opportunity for the UNP and the SJB to unite. Moreover, it appears that the chance to bring all parties together under the leadership of the main opposition, the SJB, was also lost due to these political maneuvers at Sirikotha.
Inspector General in Legal Trouble
Following the assassination of Weligama Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara, a major stir erupted in the political sphere last week based on a confidential report issued by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), which claimed that SJB Member of Parliament Jagath Withana had received death threats from the underworld. Without informing Jagath Withana, the police proceeded to investigate the matter in a different manner, prompting Jagath to file a complaint with the Matugama Police. Jagath only learned of the underworld threats against him after lodging the complaint.
He immediately submitted the relevant documents to Parliament and took steps to deliver a sensitive speech regarding the threats from unknown underworld sources. He also raised the matter with the Speaker as a question of privilege.
Threat to life
Due to the seriousness of the threat to his life, Jagath Withana held a lengthy phone discussion that same night with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Given the gravity of the situation, Sajith promptly brought IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya into the call. During the discussion, extensive talks were held about providing security for Jagath, and as a result, two security personnel were assigned to him.
However, the situation escalated further the following day when the IGP made a controversial public statement. He directly claimed that the underworld threat against Jagath Withana stemmed from his dealings with the underworld and that even his business activities were linked to underworld transactions. This statement caused significant upheaval in political circles, with some social media platforms using it to label both Jagath and the SJB as being connected to the underworld. It also raised serious concerns about the safety of Jagath’s life.
In response, within minutes of the IGP’s statement, Sajith, SJB legal advisors, and Jagath Withana held several urgent Zoom discussions. During these talks, Jagath firmly stated that the IGP’s claims were entirely false and that he had never engaged in dealings or maintained business relationships with the underworld. The SJB legal team pointed out that the IGP’s statement had placed Jagath’s life in grave danger. They also questioned how such a statement could be made by the IGP.
The legal advisors emphasized that the IGP’s remarks had created a serious legal issue and that clear legal action could be taken against him. Accepting this advice, Sajith granted approval that same day for the legal team to proceed with legal action against the IGP.
Opposition not informed
Furthermore, there was unanimous agreement that this incident should be referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges. It was also decided to lodge complaints with all relevant international organizations.
Accordingly, although Jagath was prepared to inform the Speaker last week, the Speaker was at the time on an official visit to the United Kingdom. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that, representing the Sri Lankan Parliament, the Speaker was accompanied on this visit by Ministers Nalinda Jayatissa, Harshana Nanayakkara, and Savithri Paulraj. The visit was facilitated by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and funded by the UK’s International Development Fund.
Typically, such official visits representing Parliament should include opposition representation. However, this visit included only three government ministers and the Speaker, with no opposition members present. This led to extensive discussion within the SJB. As a result, the SJB has now decided to raise objections during the upcoming parliamentary week and to highlight this as an injustice done to the opposition.
Business class travel
The SJB has also resolved to launch another political battle against the government based on this issue.
Additionally, another significant detail about the UK visit involving the Speaker and the three government ministers came to light last week. It was reported that although the four of them initially boarded a SriLankan Airlines flight to London with economy class tickets, they later arranged—through discussions with SriLankan Airlines officials—to be upgraded to business class. This is despite a standing ban on upgrading economy tickets to business class on SriLankan Airlines.
Before the last general election, the government had promised the public that it would not accept privileges unavailable to ordinary citizens and would not misuse state resources. However, the opposition has now begun investigating how these ministers managed to upgrade their tickets in violation of that ban. The opposition has also decided to question this matter in Parliament in the coming days.
Moreover, it is reported that not only these four ministers, but several other government ministers have also obtained undue privileges during foreign visits. Many in the opposition point out that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was, for the first time in history, taken into custody and remanded due to similar allegations—specifically, that he used government funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London. Based on this precedent, it is believed that these ministers too may face serious consequences in the future stemming from this incident.
IGP Expresses Regret
However, since the Speaker was scheduled to return to Sri Lanka in the middle of the week, it was informed that the discussion requested regarding the security of Opposition MPs could be held on Friday. It was also conveyed from the Speaker’s office that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) would be summoned to Parliament for that purpose.
Accordingly, the meeting on Friday was attended by Sajith Premadasa, Jagath Withana, Dilith Jayaweera, Mano Ganesan, and Archuna Ramanathan. During the meeting, all the MPs collectively pointed out that the security of Opposition MPs had become a serious concern, particularly noting that the IGP’s recent statement targeting MP Jagath Withana had endangered his life.
In response, the IGP expressed regret over his earlier statement, clarifying that he had never said Jagath Withana was connected to underworld activities. He further mentioned that a reassessment could be conducted to provide security to MPs facing threats.
Following this, MP Archuna Ramanathan levelled a serious allegation against the Speaker, claiming that due to the Speaker’s actions, his privileges as an MP had been violated. Surprised by this, the Speaker immediately asked, “What have I done to violate your privileges?”
Smiling, Archuna replied, “Why, Mr. Speaker, every time I speak, you turn off my microphone!” His remark caused not only the MPs but even the Speaker himself to burst into laughter.
However, following this meeting, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) held another discussion on the security of its MPs, during which it was decided that although the IGP had expressed regret and denied making any reference to the underworld, legal action would still be pursued against him.
Death sentence
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake launched the national programme “The Entire Country as One” last week, aimed at eradicating narcotics from the nation. During the launch, we revealed a significant statement made by the President — that he was prepared to sign off on the death penalty if necessary in the campaign against drug trafficking.
While several former Presidents had taken measures to combat drug trafficking, none had gone as far as implementing the death penalty. During former President Maithripala Sirisena’s tenure, there was a heated public debate on whether the death penalty should be carried out against drug traffickers. Sirisena even publicly declared that he was ready to approve executions of those convicted of major drug offenses.
Drug Network
Following his statement, there was a wave of discussion in society about preparing the gallows. Media reports showed the gallows being cleaned, and it was even reported that new ropes were purchased and two new executioners recruited. Many believed Sirisena would indeed proceed with executing drug traffickers and other serious offenders.
However, that expectation ended when, during the final days of his presidency, Sirisena granted a presidential pardon to Jude Shramantha Jayamaha, convicted in the Royal Park murder case, who had been sentenced to death. After receiving the pardon, Jayamaha left the country, and although the courts later reinstated the death penalty, his current whereabouts remain unknown.
In recent times, discussions within the government about breaking drug networks and stopping narcotics trafficking once again brought the topic of implementing the death penalty to the forefront. Many stakeholders pointed out to the President that enforcing the death penalty against major drug traffickers would greatly strengthen the anti-narcotics drive.
Taking a firm stance, the President stated that he would not hesitate to authorize executions in such cases. He further declared that he would also sign off on executions of individuals found guilty by court orders for crimes that had caused public unrest and tragedy.
Currently, several such cases are before the courts. If, upon conclusion, the courts decide to impose the death penalty on the accused, the public will be able to witness the enforcement of those executions as declared by the President.
Sridharan to Be Expelled
Serious allegations have been levelled within the Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) party against its Parliamentary Group Leader, Mavai S. Senathirajah’s successor, Sridharan. He is accused of acting in close cooperation with the government to gain personal benefits, instead of representing the Tamil people of the North and the policies of his party.
As a result, strong opposition against Sridharan has grown within the ITAK in recent weeks. The reasons are numerous. On one occasion, Sridharan reportedly met with the President and organized a special meeting without prior approval from the party.
While some ITAK representatives attended the meeting with the intention of discussing key political issues — such as the North-East ethnic question, power devolution, and provincial council elections — they later realized that the meeting had primarily focused on disaster relief for the flood-affected areas of the North.
It was later learned that the President and Sridharan had agreed beforehand to limit discussions strictly to that topic.
In addition, another major allegation surfaced — that Sridharan had obtained several liquor licenses from former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. ITAK General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran had reportedly requested the President to conduct an inquiry into liquor licenses issued to Northern political representatives, but no action had been taken.
Party sources say the general belief within ITAK is that the President deliberately avoided such investigations to protect Sridharan. Meanwhile, several civil organizations have lodged complaints with the Bribery Commission regarding the liquor licenses allegedly obtained by Sridharan. It is now reported that the Commission has already launched an inquiry into the matter.
Letter Ready
Within ITAK, another internal dispute has emerged over Sridharan’s representation of the minority parties in the Constitutional Council. Party members allege that although he was appointed as an Opposition representative, Sridharan has, on several key occasions, acted in collaboration with government members within the Council.
As a result, many now consider Sridharan to be effectively representing the government rather than the Opposition in the Constitutional Council. During critical appointments, ITAK members suspect that Sridharan is likely to cast his vote in favor of the government.
Over the past few weeks, a series of long internal discussions were held within ITAK. The majority opinion was that Sridharan, who has been accused of supporting the government while representing the Opposition, should be removed from the Constitutional Council and replaced with a genuine minority representative.
Accordingly, the party has decided to hand over a letter to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne requesting Sridharan’s immediate removal from the Constitutional Council. The letter is reportedly being finalized and will be officially submitted to the Speaker in the coming days.
Vote Against the Budget?
The Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) is scheduled to hold a special Central Committee meeting next Wednesday to decide on its stance regarding the upcoming budget to be presented by the government.
Currently, three different opinions have emerged within the party regarding the budget. One faction believes the party should abstain from voting, as it did previously. Another group argues that since the President has not yet taken any tangible steps toward developing the Northern and Eastern provinces, the party should vote against the budget. A third, smaller group favors supporting the budget.
Accordingly, ITAK will meet next Wednesday to reach a final decision. However, as previously reported in ‘inside politics’ column, the party has already sent a letter to the President requesting a discussion. As of now, the President has not responded.
Party sources indicate that if no satisfactory response is received from the President before next Wednesday, ITAK will most likely decide to vote against the budget.
