UNP Youth wing wants Ruwan as new leader

• Working committee meeting scheduled for today postponed for next week 

By Yohan Perera   

The youth wing of the UNP Jathika Yovun Peramuna has passed a resolution calling for the appointment of former State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene as the new party leader, its office bearers said yesterday.  

Jathika Yovun Peramuna Secretary Dharshana Chathuranga Brahmana told a news conference that 32 of the 42 executive members of the youth front had voted in favour of the resolution calling for the appointment of Mr. Wijewardene as the new leader.   

“We initially passed a resolution on August 13, 2020 calling the party that six names including Mr. Wijewardene, Arjuna Ranatunga, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Palitha Range Bandara, Karu Jayasuriya and Navin Dissanayake should be considered when deciding on the top post. However we passed another resolution on Wednesday calling for the appointment of Mr. Wijewardene as the new leader,” he said.   

He also said the Yovun Peramuna would welcome a UNP and Samagi Jana Balawegaya merger.   

Meanwhile, UNP Anuradhapura Candidate Mervin Silva called for the appointment of former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as the new leader at a news conference.   UNP sources said the working committee meeting scheduled for today was postponed to next week.   “The working committee had to be put off for the next week as party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has to appear before the police unit of the commission probing the Easter Sunday attacks,” a party source said.