Aug 16, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Construction, Engineering Services and Common Amenities Wimal Weerawansa says that the leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremasinghe has plans to bring the Gampaha district MP Ruwan Wijewardena to the leadership.

He said that the promotion of Ruwan Wijewardena to the UNP executive committee proved the opposition leader's plan. Weerawansa further predicted that the UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa would lose his future in such a context.

MP Wijewardena, who hails from the family owning Sri Lanka's prime print media business Wijaya Newspapers, is a nephew of UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe as well as former President J. R. Jayawardena.

Sajith Premadasa is the son of former President R. Premadasa who was killed by the Tamil Tigers.

A UNP activist loyal to Sajith faction said that the aim of the leader is to inherit the party back to the capitalist elite of Jayawardena-Wijewardena clans.