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Hakeem to join Rajapaksa govt? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem says his party is yet to decide whether to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government. The SLMC leader however avoided repeated questions by BBC Sandeshaya whether the party is considering any move towards joining the government. Asked whether the SLMC is indecisive on joining the Rajapaksa cabinet, Hakeem said: “ We are in the opposition at the moment”. “There has been no serious discussion on how to support the government.” He stressed that the party is not “together” with the main opposition United National Party (UNP) headed by opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe. “We are a party that has contested separately but joined with the UNP in certain districts in the last general elections.” The SLMC delegation in the All Party Conference (APC) called by the president to discuss the future talks with the Tamil Tigers was led by Rauff Hakeem on Monday. The SLMC boycotted the APC in the initial rounds to protest government’s stand on Muslims affected in the conflict. Two other Tamil minority parties, Ceylon workers Congress (CWC) and Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), recently decided to support the government in the local government elections. Both parties supported Wickramasinghe in November 17 presidential elections. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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India's frustration with Sri Lanka over Tamils