Opposition legislators said the bidding had reached
dizzying heights of up to 60 million rupees, or about 1,000 times the average annual salary of an office worker.
Kumaratunga's People's Alliance (PA) needs a minimum of 10 MP’s from the main Opposition United National Party (UNP) to pass her draft statute that will turn the country into a quasi federal state, a move aimed at ending decades of ethnic bloodshed.
However, minority Tamil politicians said at least five of
Kumaratunga's supporters had now decided to vote against the bill when it is put to the test on Wednesday.
As tension mounted in and around Sri Lanka's capital
ahead of the decisive vote, government MP’s were checking into the safety of deluxe hotels in the capital and were due to be taken by helicopter to parliament for the vote.
The president warned us that there could be attacks
against us, one MP said from the five-star Taj Samudra hotel. It is as a precautionary measure that we have been asked to come.
The Opposition UNP was in hectic talks with its own
members to minimise defections.
Report : Zeenext Bureau
