2010-06-18
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has issued a directive to his most trusted members of cabinet that the time had come to politically attack UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya.

Meeting with some of his most trusted government ministers at Temple Trees last week, President Rajapaksa said that it was foolish to think that the internal problems within the UNP would last forever and give the government a free hand, Lanka News Web learns.

He said that it was important to realise this and act to neutralize the next biggest threat from the opposition,
while adding that the threat would not emerge from Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe or MPs Sajith Premadasa or Ravi Karunanayake who were squabbling for the deputy leadership at present but from political veteran Karu Jayasuriya.

According to LNW sources this revelation by the president took his ministers by shock and some of them commented that since it was widely believed that Karu Jayasuriya gave the UPFA government a major injection by crossing over with 17 UNPers at the height of the war the UNP rank and file did not trust him and therefore was no threat. However President Rajapaksa held a different view and told his ministers that although there was opposition to Jayasuriya’s decision to support the government at that point if he were to be put forward as an alternative to the present leadership most of the UNP would rally around him.

“The UNP grassroots membership is seeking for a sarong clad leader now. Don’t you all see that the obvious candidate is Karu? If he comes forward the UNP will mobilize and rally around him. Sajith and Ravi can’t command the respect Karu can” the President told his ministers.

The President then issued instructions to his loyalists that the time had come to start taking shots at Jayasuriya to ensure that he is not allowed to succeed politically. According to our sources President Rajapaksa is reported to have warned his ministers that if Jayasuriya was to step forward the government would face a huge problem and that it was important to guard against that.