Four MPs of the 'Joint Opposition' backing Mahinda Rajapaksa will defect to the government, Minister P. Harrison claimed.

He made this claim yesterday speaking to media after an event in Anuradhapura.

The government has now made similar claims on a number of occasions. However, none of them have come true until now.

Meanwhile, the future of the JO is in some uncertainty since it is divided over the issue of launching a new party.