The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will invite the United National Party (UNP) and other parties to join its May Day rally at the P.D. Sirisena Stadium in Maligawatta, SJB MP S.M. Marikkar announced on Wednesday.
“There is a strong need for the members of the SJB and the UNP in the villages to oust the government that has misled the people of the country. Therefore, the UNP members are also invited to participate in the SJB May Day rally,” Marikkar told journalists.
The rally is scheduled for May 1. The SJB has begun an outreach programme across the country to mobilise supporters, and Marikkar described it as the “biggest May Day rally this year.”
Marikkar attacked the NPP government’s economic record, citing a recent World Bank report which found that one-third of Sri Lanka’s population has fallen below the poverty line. He said the NPP had campaigned on promises to reduce the prices of food, medicines, electricity, fuel and school supplies — pledges he said had gone unmet in office.
“The SJB is working to build a massive protest against the government on May Day,” he said.
The invitation to UNP members is a distinct political move. The United National Party announced last week that it would not hold its own May Day rally this year because the date coincides with Vesak Full Moon Poya observances. By pitching the Maligawatta event as a broader opposition platform, the SJB is positioning for a potential UNP–SJB alignment ahead of provincial council elections expected later this year.
