Sirisena urges SLPP MPs to rejoin his Sri Lanka Freedom Party

President Maithripala Sirisena has urged the newly formed Sri Lanka Podujana Party lawmakers to rejoin his party, saying he is ready to break the unity government with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Addressing an election rally in the south western region of Ratnapura yesterday, Sirisena urged the SLPP supporters to rejoin his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

"Please leave that garbage party and join hands with me.

If all 96 MPs elected to parliament under SLFP come to my house tomorrow morning, I will form the government," he said.

His comments came in the midst of his current stand-off with his unity government partner Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP).

All SLPP parliamentarians numbering around 50 were elected under the banner of SLFP in the 2015 parliamentary elections. They now call themselves the Joint Opposition and stay opposed to Sirisena's unity government with the UNP.

"There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics,"

Sirisena said, extending the olive branch to Rajapaksa's loyalists.

Rajapaksa's new party is expected to create dents in the SLFP support at the local election.

Sirisena was backed by the UNP in the presidential election of 2015 against Rajapaksa. This resulted him from being sacked from the SLFP by Rajapaksa.

Sirisena in the recent weeks has taken the UNP to task while campaigning for the February 10 local council election.

He has openly criticised the UNP for corruption, an allegation stemming mainly from the report of a probe he ordered on a scam connected to the issuance of bonds by the Sri Lanka Central Bank.

Analysts, however, say Sirisena lacks numbers in the 225member parliament to sack Wickremesinghe and appoint a new prime minister of his choice. The sitting premier cannot be removed other than through a motion of no confidence.