Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the no-confidence  motion against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was a prelude to a no-confidence motion against President Maithripala Sirisena. 

"The real target of the no-confidence motion is the President," Samaraweera said, issuing a statement yesterday. 

The objective of the no-confidence," he said, "is to appoint a puppet Prime Minister and then go on to present an impeachment against the President," he added. 

"The elements who were defeated by people twice at national level elections are behind this attempt." 

The Finance and Media Minister asserted that their attempt would not bear fruit and the no-confidence motion would be defeated in Parliament.