The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), which is the main Opposition party in Sri Lanka, has held discussions with the United National Party (UNP) on a possible merger.

According to the Daily Mirror, SJB MP Harin Fernando said he recently met UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in this regard.

Stating that he had met Wickremesinghe after informing SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa, MP Fernando said the UNP leader had advised him to continue the discussion with party Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardena.

He said the aim of the discussion initiated by the SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara was to unite the two parties in order to create a platform for the opposition to fight the common enemy.

The SJB MP further explained that the party had reached out to the UNP to form a common consensus on how to fight the Government.

“Let’s decide how we are going to contest later on, whether we are going to come as a coalition or are they going to go as separate parties or under one common symbol. But right now, what we need to do is, we need to also engage. SJB is the one that has a voice, at least in Parliament, and that matters a lot. Even Karu Jayasuriya. We need to get all of them on one platform because we are fighting a regime that is very difficult. So, if you are to fight against corruption, malpractices, we need to come into a common platform, leaving our political differences aside,” MP Harin Fernando said.