A senior cabinet minister from the ruling coalition defected to the common opposition, becoming the sixth member of the Rajapaksa cabinet to leave the government in the last few weeks.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen, said he had made a “crucial career call of his political life,” stating that a “need for national unity underpins his crucial decision.”
“The decision was made having our community and national unity in mind,” Colombo Page quoted Bathiudeen as saying.
Bathiudeen previously commended Basil Rajapaka for making peace between the Bodu Nala Sena and the ruling coalition party.
The recently appointed national list MP for the UPFA, Ameer Ali, also defected to the opposition, resulting in the ruling UPFA coalition losing the 2/3 majority in parliament on Monday.
The ruling coalition has 148 out of the required 150 MPs to maintain a 2/3 majority in parliament, reports asianmirror.lk.
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