UPFA Parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardena today announced that his group would boycott Parliament in protest of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya's conduct. 

Gunawardena, addressing a press conference in Parliament today, said they would not recognize Karu Jayasuriya as the Speaker of Parliament, as the latter had refused to accept the purported government. 

He added that the Speaker was working to support the political agenda of the UNP. 

"The Speaker says there is no government, no Prime Minister and no Leader of the House - then how can Parliament function? Today, there is only an opposition in Parliament. Parliamentary tradition has been violated by the Speaker," UPFA MP Nimal Siripala de Silva said. addressing the same press conference. 

The UPFA MPs were within the Parliament premises today, but did not take part in sessions. However, four of the six parties recognized in Parliament, namely the UNP, the JVP, the TNA and the SLMC, took part in today's sessions.