Crisis within the UNP over reform committee report

The UNP working committee has called for a decisive meeting to be held on the 19th instant to reach a final decision on the report of the Reforms Committee. A crisis situation has emerged because of some leaders within the party alleging that the proposal to permit local govt and provincial council members as well to cast their vote if the leader of the party is going to be selected in an election, has not been given any consideration by the Reforms committee. However the gen secretary of the UNP said that the Reforms report will be tabled at the Working committee meeting tomorrow and if it is approved it would be take up at the next party convention, which is to be held in a future date not confirmed yet. UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya has told Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that parliamentarians Sajith Premadasa, Ravi Karunanayake and Kabir Hashim should be included in the party delegation when it meets with the government to discuss the proposed constitutional amendments. Jayasuriya had made this statement when the UNP delegation to meet the President and government officials met at the Opposition Leader’s Cambridge Terrace office at 3 p.m. yesterday.