Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha has told President Maithripala Sirisena that he will not leave the government and will stand by him the coming election, informed sources told Asian Mirror.

Minister Premajayantha was part of a group of about 12 Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs who had notified the President of their intention to quit the government on Wednesday (6) due to increasing corruption allegations.

The Ministers and Deputy Ministers had reportedly met with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other MPs of the Joint Opposition (JO) on Wednesday to discuss the exodus of SLFP Ministers from the government.

Ministers Susil Premajayantha and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Deputy Ministers T.B. Ekanayake, Dulip Wijesekara, Nimal Lansa and Arundika Fernando are among the SLFP members wanting to the leave the government.

However Science, Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha has reportedly told President Maithripala Sirisena that he will not leave the government and will stand by him in the coming elections.