NPP cancels meeting with President at the eleventh hour

■ No discussion with ‘illegitimate’ Govt. ■ NPP says current regime must be defeated ■ No merit in discussing with Wickremesinghe

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna ( JVP) led National People’s Power (NPP) party has pulled out of the meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe which was scheduled to be held today. In a Twitter message last night, former JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake said the party will not participate in the meeting with Wickremesinghe as the party has already declared the Government an ‘illegitimate’ one.

“This is an illegitimate Ranil Wickremesinghe - Mahinda Rajapaksa Government with the shell Presidency owned by the Rajapaksas,” he said. Rathnayake said the only solution now is to defeat the current regime and uphold the people’s sovereignty.

However earlier in the day, holding a press conference JVP Politburo member Sunil Handunetti said the President had extended an invitation to the party to discuss the possibility of forming an all-party Government and the party has accepted the invitation, only to formally inform Wickremesinghe of the NPP’s stance to not be part or support it.

However, Handunetti stressed that despite meeting the President, the party will in no way support or be part of any allparty Government that is to be formed. “We have made our stance on this clear quite publicly,” he said.

According to him, the NPP sees no merit in the discussion as Wickremesinghe has always formed a Government with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. “Following this the term ‘interim Government’ has dropped from the President’s vocabulary. What is the point of inviting other parties after already forming a Government with the former President’s faction?” he asked.

Handunetti had stressed that despite deciding to meet the President the party will in no way support or be part of any allparty Government that is to be formed. “We have made our stance on this clear quite publicly,” he said.

“The President is not going to form a Government that would allow for the people’s mandate by calling for an election soon,” he said adding that instead, Wickremesinghe is attempting to bolster his power and gain the confidence of the international community for the purpose of obtaining loans.

“Therefore, this is not an all-party Government that has the mandate of the people and the NPP will not support it,” he said. According to Handunetti, the party will not change its stance and will directly communicate to the President their refusal to support or be part of an all-party Government. “Majority in the Parliament are not keen on holding elections. The NPP stance is different. Elections must be called to form a Government that has the mandate of the people,” he added.