Tissa Attanayake, National Organiser of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), announced on Monday (16) that he has withdrawn from the committee tasked with holding discussions with the United National Party (UNP) and will no longer participate in future talks between the two parties.
Addressing a special press conference, the former parliamentarian criticized the lack of clarity surrounding the dialogue process, stating, “Our Working Committee and Management Committee had decided to initiate these discussions.
If there was any ambiguity regarding the process, it should have been reported.” Attanayake emphasized that if the SJB-UNP discussions are deemed unnecessary, the party should formally discontinue them rather than engage in internal blame games.
“Blaming each other is not relevant to the matter. If the party has taken a certain stance on these discussions, I will not rejoin until the next Working Committee decides on that stance,” he asserted.
His withdrawal marks a significant setback in efforts to foster collaboration between the SJB and UNP, both key players in Sri Lanka’s opposition politics.
The development raises questions about the future of potential alliances ahead of critical political engagements.
