Karu fails first test:

Battle of the 'Heroes' and 'Traitors'

by Prasad Gunewardene

The UNP's nomination crisis of the Colombo Municipal Council has now created "heroes" and "traitors' within its fold in the Colombo District.

Accusations are levelled at the Mohamed Maharoof and Milinda Moragoda combination for tampering with the nomination list.

The inclusion of a youth, identified as Supun Lakmal, the son of a Maharoof supporter into the list was the cause for the rejection as it was upheld that the young man was below 18 in age under the 2004 electoral register. However, former CMC Councillor, T. M. Sanghadasa claimed his name was deleted and replaced by the name of this youth. Sanghadasa who broke away from Maharoof is now a supporter of Ravi Karunanayake.

Ravi Karunanayake and Rajitha Senaratne combination annoyed over the fate of the party in Colombo have labelled Maharoof as a 'traitor'. Maharoof who disclaims responsibility for the grave lapse says he is an 'innocent hero'. He has also thrown a challenge at Sanghadasa to prove that he (Maharoof) deleted his name stating that the name rejected was in the UNP youth list. When contacted by the 'Sunday Observer" Maharoof queried whether Sanghadasa was a youth.

Sanghadasa claims that his name had been 'tipexed' by the Maharoof faction as Maharoof has had access to the list the previous night.

"Siri Kotha" sources also blamed deputy leader, Karu Jayasuriya who was in charge of the 'operations' after power devolved in the party following Ranil Wickremesinghe's defeat at the presidential election. Jayasuriya was directly in charge of the Nomination Board.

According to UNP sources the UNP youth list had been finalised at 11.00pm the previous day. When it had been taken to Siri Kotha for the signature of the party General Secretary, N. V. K. K. Weragoda the following morning, Weragoda had been engaged elsewhere with Prof. G. L. Peiris.

Finally he had been traced at Kirula Road, Narahenpita around 11.40pm. Meanwhile, Mayoral candidate, Sirisena Cooray had been languishing at the Kachcheri from 8.30 am awaiting the list.

The Maharoof-Moragoda faction blames Weragoda and the UNP lawyers who were missing from party headquarters on that important day. The Ravi-Rajitha combination claims that Maharoof-Moragoda combination planned it ahead to sabotage as the UNP leader himself authorised the nomination of Sanghadasa.

The long standing battle between these two factions now appear to have cost the UNP the CMC which it controlled for 52 years.

Now its an "Independent" group campaign for Sirisena Cooray and the UNP which is kicked off Abeysingharamaya yesterday.
