Lanka’s ruling party launches protest against opposition

Sri Lanka’s ruling United National Party (UNP) held a protest in Colombo yesterday against the Joint Opposition which groups former president Mahinda Rajapakse.Several parliamentarians and members of the UNP gathered at the Town Hall in Colombo and held a protest march, Xinhua reported.Hundreds of UNP supporters also took part, voicing criticism against the opposition.The Joint Opposition, which consists of opposition parliamentarians loyal to Rajapakse, said that it will hold a series of protests this month against the united government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.Sirisena defeated Rajapakse in a presidential election in January last year and in August, the United National Party led by Wickremesinghe won a parliamentary election. In September, Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Wickremesinghe’s ruling UNP joined hands to form a united government.However, members of the Joint Opposition blame the government for a high cost of living and a sluggish economy.