Prabha Ganeshan and Palaniappan Digambaram join hands with Mahinda Rajapaksa

Government announced the defection of two Tamil opposition parliamentarians on Thursday taking the strength of the ruling alliance to 146 in the 225-member Parliament

The statement issued by the government says, "Mr Prabha Ganeshan of Democratic People's Front (DPF) and Mr P Digambaram of the National Workers Front (NWF) announced their decision to extend support to the government at the Temple Trees today (August 5)".

DPF and NWF are constituent parties of the United National Front led by opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe.

The MPs had spoken to the media in the presence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa after joining the ruling alliance.

After the defections, the ruling alliance is just four seats short of the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution.

The Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) leadership had informed media that the party had not been informed by party member Prabha Ganeshan that he had joined the government.

'Act of betrayal'

DPF leader Mano Ganeshan, who is overseas, claimed that Prabha Ganeshan had met the President only to handover some party proposals on 'local government reforms'.

Speaking to BBC Sandeshaya, the DPF leader said the MP had betrayed the leadership and the party.

"We have our differences with the UNP, but that can't justify this betrayal. We will take disciplinary action against Prabha Ganesan. His party membership has been suspended." said Mano Ganeshan.

He condemned what he called the "act of betrayal", saying that he will not accept joining a government that had not done anything to improve the life of Tamil speaking people in Sri Lanka.

We have our differences with the UNP, but that can't justify this betrayal. We will take disciplinary action against Prabha Ganesan Mano Ganesan

The crossover of the two opposition MPs took place whilst the opposition leader is having talks with the President on constitutional reforms.

Sri Lankan media reported that Mahinda Rajapaksa consented to Ranil Wickremasinghe's request to refrain from recruiting opposition MPs to the government.

The UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya crossed over to the government in early 2007 with 16 other opposition MPs while having talks with the government.

He later rejoined the UNP on his own.