JVP pushes for common symbol with UNP.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said yesterday it would make an effort to persuade the main opposition United National Party (UNP) to be flexible and agree to contest the upcoming general election under a common symbol.

The question of a symbol came to the fore after the UNP Working Committee decided on Thursday to contest the election under its traditional elephant symbol.

The UNP was the single largest party to support the candidacy of common opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka at the recent presidential election.

However in a statement yesterday the party said that though it passed a resolution with regard to the elephant symbol, the party leader was given the authority to decide on a common symbol should the need arise in the formation of a common political front.

When asked about the present political climate in Sri Lanka, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said that in the event of forming an alliance with the participation of opposition political parties, , the JVP felt it would be preferable to contest under the swan symbol.

“The UNP has decided to contest under its elephant symbol. We want it to soften its stand on the matter of the elephant symbol. But if it does not change its decision we will go for an alternative strategy after consulting General Fonseka and the other parties, which supported him,” he said.

When asked whether the JVP would request the UNP to change its stand, Mr. Silva said, “We, along with the other parties, will try to persuade the UNP to do so.”

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem; Democratic People’s Front (DPF) leader Mano Ganeshan and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) (Mahajana Wing) leader Mangala Samaraweera met UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya on Thursday, before the Working Committee meeting. These party leaders also appeared to support a common symbol for the general election.

By Kelum Bandara

By Courtesy of Dailymirror.lk
Friday 13th February 2010

අනාථවු ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණ,

ආසන කිහීපයක් හෝ දිනාගන්න

අද අලියා පස්සෙ යයි.

ජතියේ මුරදේවතාවක්වූ පක්‍ෂයකට අනුර කුමාරලා, සෝමහංස

අමරසිංහලා කරපු විනාශයක්.
 
By Chinthaka