UNP MP crosses over to UPFA Government, becomes deputy minister
[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 July 2006, 17:07 GMT]
A United National Party (UNP) parliamentarian, Suasntha Punchinilame, representing Ratnapura district in the south joined the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday and was sworn in as the Deputy Minister for Rural Economic Development by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. He is the fourth UNP MP to cross over to the UPFA alliance since the elections in last November.
Earlier Kurunegal District MP Rohitha Bogollagama, Kalutara District MP Mahinda Samarasinghe and Kandy District MP Keheliya Rambukwella joined the UPFA government. All of them hold ministries. The UNP has slammed the UPFA for the cross-over of Punchinilame and issued a statement saying that they will not extent any support to the UPFA government.
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