Aug 12, Colombo: Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) Kurunegala district parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara says that the party has removed his name from the list of speakers of the party election propaganda rallies.

He said that he was named as a speaker of a number of propaganda rallies for the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils and later he came to know that his name had been removed from them.

He questioned whether the party wanted to keep him in the party or to drop him.

Jayasekara, a leading figure of the anti-Ranil Wickremasinghe camp of the UNP, has reportedly held talks with the government on crossing over.

Reportedly, the government has not agreed to grant him a portfolio and the MP is hesitating to move for the moment.

However, Jayasekera reiterated that he is not planning to cross over to the government but the media manipulated by the party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe is spreading the rumors of a cross over.

The Sunday newspaper The Nation citing sources close to Wickremasinghe reported that the parliamentarian is planning to crossover to the UPFA platform at Anuradhapura on August 18, when President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially kicks off the UPFA PC election campaign.

Jayasekara has said that he would start campaigning for the UNP from Anuradhapura today (12) despite an order from the leadership to the organizers of the rally not to bring the legislator to address the rally. However, the organizers have rejected the threat, he has said.

The main opposition party is plagued with inner rifts due to the controversy over the leadership of Wickremasinghe. The party has failed to win any major election for the last 11 years under the leadership of Wickremasinghe.