Rajapaksa plans to return as prime minister

PTI, Colombo :Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa plans to return to mainstream politics as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the main opposition party, his close associate Kumar Welgama said today.”He will be the prime ministerial candidate of either the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) or the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA),” Mr Welgama said.President Maithripala Sirisena, who is the leader of both the groups, has resisted calls to allow 69-year-old Rajapaksa to contest.However, a six-member committee appointed to have talks with Sirisena and Rajapaksa has clinched the candidature of Mr Rajapaksa, Mr Welgama said.Mr Sirisena, who was Mr Rajapaksa’s health minister, joined the main opposition UNP just ahead of the January 8 presidential election.Me Rajapaksa sacked Mr Sirisena from the party but handed him the leadership after the latter’s victory over him.Speaking in the central town of Kandy this morning, Mr Rajapaksa asked his supporters to “wait till Tuesday”.Since the defeat in the presidential election, the Rajapaksa family faced corruption charges.