A meeting between former President and senior advisor to the SLFP Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) electoral organisers will be held on November 5 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her becoming the Executive President in 1994.
The Sunday Observer learns that party stalwarts at the meeting will also discuss its role during the presidential election.
The meeting will be held at the Sugathadasa indoor stadium, Colombo with the participation of SLFP electoral organisers who are opposing the Party decision to back Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Presidential candidate, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Convener of the Organisation to Protect the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Rajika Kodituwakku said more than 7,000 SLFP loyalists who are against the SLFP decision to tie up with the SLPP, will attend the meeting.
“Former President Bandaranaike is abroad. But she informed us that she will attend the meeting,” Kodituwakku said.
The organisers have invited all SLFP electoral organisers, including key SLFP politicians, such as MP Kumara Welgama, Ruwan Ranatunga and also an independent candidate of the Presidential race, former Minister Milroy Fernando, for the event.
The former President who has been critical of the Rajapaksas is yet to make a statement about the political marriage between the SLFP and the SLPP ahead of the Presidential poll.
Meanwhile, members of the Organisation to Protect the SLFP, including some electoral organisers of the party formed a political group, ‘Sri Lanka Freedom Democratic Front’, to support New Democratic Front presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa.
Responding to inquiries of the Sunday Observer, Sri Lanka Freedom Party National Organiser MP Duminda Dissanayake said that he is neither aware of such a meeting nor invited.