SL parliament to meet on February 6 after new political alignment

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 11:31 GMT]
Secretary of the Sri Lankan Parliament is in a dilemma to find office accommodation to 52 ministers in the parliamentary complex. Earlier 24 ministers were provided with office facilities in the parliament complex. Late the number was increased to 38. Now the Sri Lankan authorities have been forced to find office accommodation to cabinet rank 53 ministers. Sri Lanka's parliament is to meet on February 6 after the major cabinet reshuffle carried out last Sunday by SL President Mahinda Rajapakse.

With the new political alignment the number of parliamentarians on the government side has swelled to 122 after 19 dissident parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), six of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and 22 of the all monks' party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) join the UPFA government.

In the meantime the first cabinet meeting of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government scheduled for Wednesday after Sunday major reshuffle was cancelled at last minute, as proper allocation of departments and other functions to fifty-two ministers has not been completed.

Meanwhile parliamentarian P.Radhakrishnan of Upcountry Peoples front (UPF) is to be appointed a Deputy Minister for Vocational Training.

His name was not included in the recent cabinet reshuffle last Sunday.