Sri Lanka's major opposition drops the disciplinary action against its legislator

Sri Lanka's major opposition United National Party (UNP) sources say that the party and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has ordered to suspend the disciplinary action against the Monaragala district parliamentarian Ranjith Madduma Bandara.

The decision came following a meeting between the duo at the parliament for discussions under the mediation of the UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake and Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya.

UNP initiated disciplinary action against the MP after he was found to have altered the party nomination list for the Monaragala district at the general election held in April this year.

Madduma Bandara has been accused of altering the party's Moneragala District nominations list and deleting SLFP-Mahajana Wing candidate Uva Provincial Council member Tissa Kuttiarachchi's name from the nomination list.

Despite the campaigning by UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe against his election, Madduma Bandara secured the only seat won by the UNP in the district with the highest preferential votes.

Madduma Bandara did not join the government as many expected but remained in the party struggling to change the leadership of Wickremasinghe.