President Maithripala Sirisena hit out at opponents within the UPFA and the SLFP by sacking the two general secretaries of the parties, Susil Premajayantha and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

Premajayantha was replaced by Prof. Wishwa Warnapala as UPFA General Secretary and Anura Yapa was replaced by Duminda Dissanayake as SLFP General Secretary.

This was revealed when Dissanayake and Warnapala requested an interim injuction order from the Colombo District Court to carry out their duties without any disturbance. They informed court that they have been appointed as acting General Secretaries by the President.

Premajayantha was the first General Secretary of the UPFA and served in the capacity from its founding in 2004. Anura Yapa was appointed following the defection of Maithripala Sirisena to the opposition at the end of 2014.