United National Party rebel Sajith in a do or die battle for the leadership

Sri Lanka's major opposition United National Party (UNP) sources say that the rebel group led by Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa is planning to hold a massive protest in front of Sirikotha, the party headquarters on August 17th when a crucial working committee meeting is scheduled.

The aim of the agitators is to topple the leader of the party Ranil Wickramasinghe in a revolutionary way against the party constitution.

Media reports said that the group was organizing to rally around 10,000 people and to surround the party headquarters to urge the party leader to resign.

Party sources say that by now all the efforts of the UNP seniors to resolve the crisis of the party amicably among the leaders have been unsuccessful.

Internal sources of the UNP say that the rebel group led by party Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa is not giving up the fight to topple the leader since UNP has great prospects of winning several crucial local government bodies like Colombo Municipal Council in the election scheduled for October.

"A person that leads the election can boast about the victory and Sajith's group is in a do or die battle to topple the leader before the local government election," a UNP senior said.

However, the situation developing in the UNP appears to be advantageous to the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Minister Basil Rajapaksa seems leading the election campaign for Colombo Municipal Council.

He is to declare open a shopping center for the Colombo minor traders in Gunasinghepura of Colombo Pettah bazar today.

It comprises of 468 stalls. The shops have been distributed among the pavement hawkers, of whom the majority is lumpen elements previously supportive to the UNP, that were evicted for public convenience and city beautification.