Minister S.B. Dissanayake expressed confidence that a large number of 'Joint Opposition' members will join the Maithripala Sirisena camp if Basil Rajapaksa and others decide to form a separate party.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, he said that such a step will cause the SLFP to deteriorate in the long run.

The party is in dire straits at the moment, Dissanayake acknowledged. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his brothers Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa, are responsible for the mass deterioration of support for the SLFP among the minority communities, he added.