Rajapaksa family accused of trying to split Lanka prez party

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family members were today accused of trying to break up the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) of President Maithripala Sirisena.
"Basil Rajapaksa with the blessings of Mahinda Rajapaksa is trying to cause a split in the SLFP," S B Dissanayake, Minister of Social Welfare said referring to the former president's brother.
Basil had organised a new movement of opposition groups from the central Badulla district during the weekend.
"This is action to cause a division than one to unify the party," Dissanayake, a Sirisena loyalist said.
Sirisena was handed the party leadership by Rajapaksa when the former defeated the latter in the January, 2015 presidential election.

However Rajapaksa loyalists remain as a separate opposing group within the party while Sirisena loyalists have become members of Sirisena's government of national unity firmed up with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP).
Sirisena loyalists are branded traitors to the SLFP cause by Rajapaksa's supporters due to his alliance with the UNP.