Champika Ranawaka, who tried all the tricks in the book, has now settled on Sajith Premadasa’s stage and has secured a top speaker’s slot.
Professor of History Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri says that Champika Ranawaka is delivering well on the contract he has undertaken—promoting Sajith Premadasa. He seriously challenged Sajith Premadasa by first forming a brigade of those who received free education, then the Janaraja Peramuna with the hope of joining Ranil Wickramasinghe and becoming the UNP presidential candidate in the event Ranil Wickramasinghe did not contest, and later Basil Rajapaksha when the Lotus was finding it difficult to choose a presidential candidate, according to social media spectators.
What is known for sure is that Sajith Premadasa has welcomed him back, but what is unknown is whether Sajith Premadasa has forgiven him for his rebellious behaviour.
The best example of his contradictory behaviour is just a day before Maithripala Sirisena had the famous hopper dinner with Mahinda Rajapaksha and announced his candidacy the next day, Champika Ranawaka floated a new idea. He said that the presidency could be won without the Tamil and Muslim vote; in fact, Gotabaya Rajapaksha did the same and proved the Sinhala-only theory correct.
Sinhala-only Theory,
A few days after Champika Ranawaka floated his Sinhala-only theory, he was talking about how the Sinhalese, Tamils, and Muslims should join hands to form a government based on good governance—but this was on the stage of Maithripala Sirisena. Champika had slipped away from Mahinda Rajapaksha and secured a ministerial portfolio in the Maithri-Ranil patch-up government.
Unfortunately, there is no Olympic event for jumping ships, but if there were, Champika Ranawaka would have been a strong contender.
