The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is to leave the national government on April 04, State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. 

If the UNP wants to keep the SLFP as a coalition partner, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe must resign from his position before the vote on the no-confidence motion. 

Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Abeywardena added that the SLFP was not in a position to oppose the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister. 

"To prevent this undesirable scenario, the Prime Minister must step down from the position. That's the only way to protect the unity government," the SLFP State Minister said. 

However, responding to the SLFP State Minister's remark, a senior UNP Cabinet Minister said his party never wanted the SLFP in the unity government. 

"We never wanted them. They were the ones who kept clinging on to the unity government. If they want to leave, we are more than happy about it," he added.