Gotabhaya rubbishes National List speculation

The JVP yesterday said the vacancy caused by the resignation of its National List MP Wasantha Samarasinghe would be filled by Sujith Kuruwita, leader of the association of unemployed graduates amidst some speculation that the government was eyeing the position for Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The Defence Secretary dismissed this as a figment of somebody’s imagination.

Samarasinghe, one of the three JVP National List MPs, resigned to contest the NCP poll as its chief ministerial candidate. The former MP said they had proposed Kuruwita as his replacement.

He dismissed the possibility of the UPFA filling the vacancy as speculated by some quarters as the JVP contested the last general election on the UPFA ticket and the National List slots had been allocated to the UPFA.

The JVP said under the agreement with the SLFP, they were to receive five slots but gave up two after the then President had explained the difficulty in keeping the promise as their allocation wasn’t enough.

Otherwise, we would have 41 members (36 plus five National List) in the sixth parliament, the JVP said, adding one of the three National List members, M. Musamil had joined the Weerawansa faction.

The delay in filling Samarasinghe’s vacancy has triggered speculation the government would try to take the slot. Some have speculated Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa would enter Parliament through the National List to take the Defence portfolio.