Sri Lanka main opposition UNP leader proposes Sajith Premadasa as Deputy Leader

Sept 06, Badulla: The leader of Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremasinghe today proposed former Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa for the vacant post of Deputy Leader of the party.

Addressing a massive crowd gathered at the 68th annual convention of the UNP at Passara this afternoon, the UNP leader announced that Sajith Premadasa has once held the post of deputy leader of the party, so he has been given priority to the post again.

He said the UNP needs Sajith Premadasa’s leadership to guide the party to a victory just as his father, late Ranasinghe Premadasa, supported the party under the leadership of former President J. R. Jayawardena.

The UNP leader said he is confident that Sajith is qualified to lead the party same way as his father did to create another golden era of the party.

Mr. Wickremasinghe said the party’s Working Committee would however decide about the deputy leader’s post when it meets.

Accepting the party leader’s invitation, Sajith Premadasa said he will accept any responsibility the party hands over to him and will work towards with all his might to get the party leader elected to the executive presidency at the next presidential elections.

He recalled that his father had accepted the post given to him by the then UNP leader J.R. Jayawardena and similarly he will accept the proposal made by Wickremasinghe.

Speaking at the meeting, Chief Minister candidate Harin Fernando said he had a some doubt when he resigned from the parliament to contest for the chief minister post of the Uva Provincial Council but after today’s meeting he completely lost all his doubts over the party’s win at the provincial council election.

He said the party supporters have long waited for the party to take the step to appoint Premadasa as the deputy leader and it is a sign of a victory for the party.

He said about 90 percent of the working committee are present at the meeting today and asked the crowd to raise hands if they wanted Sajith Premadasa as the deputy leader once again and the crowd burst into a thunderous applause in response to Fernando’s request.