Jun 19, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has declined the country's joint opposition's invitation to join them to collectively fight the government.

JVP Propaganda Secretary and parliamentarian Vijitha Herath has told media that his party will not join the main opposition, United National Party (UNP) or the joint opposition as their economic and political ideologies differ and the only common agenda they have is to fight for democracy.

"The only plane on which we could come together is to fight for democracy," Herath was quoted in the media as saying.

The joint opposition, comprising UNP, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a few ultra-left parties and several other minor parties, extended an open invitation to the JVP and its splinter group Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) to join the opposition to fight the government collectively.

The invitation to take joint action against the government comes in the wake of last Friday's killing of two JVP activists at a party rally in Hambantota district.

The joint opposition protested the killing of the two JVP activists and urged the government to arrest the culprits.

Aruna Soyza, a leader of the joint opposition has said that joint action is needed against the anti-democratic measures and the corruption of the government.