5TH LEAD

Dilan Perera protests against UNP MP's crossover

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 November 2007, 09:22 GMT]
Dilan Perera, Sri Lanka's Justice Minister without cabinet portfolio and Badulla district parliamentarian of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Thursday went and sat in the opposition bench in the Sri Lankan parliament, protesting against Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa for accommodating a United National Party (UNP) opposition parliamentarian who was implicated in the killing of Mr. Dilan Perera's associate, Nalanda Ellawala in 1999. Mahinda Rajapaksa is in discussions with Dilan Perera, amid claims and counter claims by ruling party and opposition of crossovers from both parties before Monday when the budget is to be put to final vote.

Dilan Perera said he was resigning from the central committee of the SLFP and told his media friends in Colombo that he will consider working with Wijeyadasa Rajapakse and will function as an independent member of the Sri Lankan parliament.

United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian Mahinda Ratnatillaka, on Thursday, crossed over from the UNP to the government.

Nalanda Ellawala, a close associate of Dilan Perera, was shot dead in Eheliyagoda on his way from Colombo to Ratnapura along with Dilan Perera after handing over the nominations for the Provincial Council elections in 1999.