President Sirisena has become a prisoner of the UNP: Bandula

President Maithripala Sirisena has become a prisoner of the United National Party (UNP), former Minister Bandula Gunawardena said.

The former Minister asserted that the UNP always had the backing of some foreign elements for the victory at the January 8 polls.

“There was a foreign conspiracy behind UNP’s win. With respect to our situation here, term ‘conspiracy’ has been defined by Ashok K. Mehta, who is a former Major general of the Indian Army, and a columnist on defence and security issues. He explains this as a ‘rainbow coalition’ which assisted to topple the former Government,”   Gunawardena added.

Ashok K. Mehta in an article to the Hindu News paper said “The rainbow coalition that toppled Mr. Rajapaksa was cobbled together in secret meetings over 18 months in London, New Delhi and Colombo between an odd mix of right and left-wing politicians, intellectuals, lawyers and Buddhist clergy that included former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, constitutional expert Jayampathy Wickramaratne, left-wing academic Kumar David and Sinhalese Buddhist monk Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero. The difficult part was poaching Mr. Sirisena so that Mr. Kumaratunga and Mr. Wickremasinghe, bitter political opponents, could sit together. The 100-day transition and reform plan, to which all parties in the coalition are signatories, will repeal the 18th Amendment, revive the 17th Amendment to restore institutions of governance, and replace the Executive Presidency with a Parliamentary system. A parliamentary election is planned for later in the year to ensure a two thirds majority to alter the constitution. But what after 100 days?,”

    
“Sirisena is entangled in the trap laid by the UNP,” he said, adding that the President has also been brainwashed by the UNPers. “That’s why he said, the former President has no right to contest at the forthcoming election,”

He also went in to say a recent observation made by Sirisena indicates that not only the Diaspora but the president himself shows enmity and hatred for former President Rajapaksa. “Not as the Prime Ministerial candidate, even the President doesn’t want Rajapaksa to contest at the election,” Gunawardena said.

“According to provisions included in the 19th amendment to the constitution, Sri Lankan nationals who possess dual citizenships are not permitted to contest in the General Election. This particular term was added to prevent Gotabaya Rajapaksa of entering politics,” he said.

Watch the full interview here